History Day: Newbury Notables

Our history day this year consists of a day of talks with a common theme – people who have contributed to life in Newbury.

The series of illustrated talks will include: circus impressario ‘Lord’ George Sanger who achieved international renown from humble beginnings in Newbury (above); Newbury’s most famous son, Jack of Newbury, the Tudor cloth magnate; the Craven family, several of whom, amid their own colourful lives, served as High Stewards of the Borough; lady mayors of the town; and a selection of past members of the Newbury District Field Club, including two of the most celebrated authors of the Victorian era.

Programme

Our lineup of talks, and the speakers are as follows:

Lady Mayors of Newbury, by Margo Payne

Newbury elected its first female mayor in 1932 and its second in 1953 – since then the sight of a woman officiating on civic occasions has ceased to be unusual, the speaker herself having taken the role in 2018.

Margo Payne who describes herself on LinkedIn as Wife … mother … singer …. author… actress …. in no particular order – missing out her involvement in local politics. As Mayor of Newbury in 2018-19 she was involved in marking a number of historical events: taking part in the marking of 375th Anniversary of the 1st Battle of Newbury; unveiling a plaque commemorating the first Lady Mayor of Newbury and leading the town’s commemoration of the end of the First World War.

Jack of Newbury, by Dr David Peacock

In the 17th Century the story of Jack of Newbury was known to all as the subject of a top-selling ‘romance’ – a mix of fact and fiction. As part of his doctoral thesis Dr Peacock was able to refute many preconceptions about this tale and demonstrate that there is a lot more fact in it than previously assumed. In his own time Jack was known throughout the cloth markets of Europe and he would have known most of the characters in Wolf Hall including Henry VIII.

Dr David Peacock is a well-known historian of Newbury and the surroundng area whose PhD thesis was on John Winchcombe and the Tudor cloth trade in Newbury. He is the author of the current edition of The Story of Newbury (4th Ed), The Roman Cemetery and innumerable articles on local history in publications and in the Newbury Weekly News.

The Craven Family, by Clive Williams

The Lords Craven once owned estates in several parts of Britain, including the Hamstead Marshall estate that once played such an important part in their story. It was there that one Lord built a palace for a Queen and another built the grand house at Benham Valence to replace it.  This talk covers the family from its humble beginnings in 16th century Yorkshire, through years of fabulous wealth and then subsequent decline.

Clive Williams is a well-known local historian from Basildon. He is the author of The Nabobs of Berkshire (2010) and more recently The Cravens (2022) – the subject of his talk.

Worthies of the Newbury District Field Club, by Phil Wood

In 1870 the Newbury District Field Club was founded with the aims of promoting the study of Newbury and the surrounding district covering local history, archaeology, natural history and geology. Many members have made notable contributions to Newbury life. Local politicians, clergymen, businessmen, academics and landowners all played their part – this talk will look at a few of them.

Phil Wood is President of the Newbury District Field Club. He is an enthusiastic local historian who has studied many aspects of Newbury’s history, notably Newbury’s almshouses, its pubs and breweries and the lives of the men named on Newbury’s war memorial.

‘Lord’ George Sanger, by Ros Clow

The rags-to-riches story of the Newbury-born circus impressario. In his time he was among the most famous circus men in the world. His showmanship and talent for self-promotion made him a major star in an entertainment world before film, television or radio. Even his untimely death was a drama that made headlines around the world.

Ros Clow leads the History Group in the Friends of Newtown Road Cemetery who have researched the lives of hundreds of those interred in the cemetery. Inspired by the fruits of their research Ros has written, produced and directed several plays, performed by the Resurrection Players.