Richard Knowles’ talk about the History of Wakefield Historical Society
At our centenary event on the 14th December 2024, Richard Knowles described the history of Wakefield Historical Society. His first connection with the Society was through the Sandal Castle excavations and he joined the Society in the late 1960s. He became Hon. Secretary in 1973 and remained in the post until finally stepping down in 1996. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1996. He is still an active and greatly knowledgeable member of our Society.
Read the transcription of Richard Knowles’ speech: The History of Wakefield Historical Society.
Summary of Events during the year
We celebrated our Centenary year with an increased number of events, many of them in collaboration with other organisations. There was a wide variety of subjects, and talks by distinguished speakers. There were newly-researched histories and new publications. Events were in a variety of venues: the Town Hall, Wakefield Library, Outwood Memorial Hall and the West Yorkshire History Centre.
Find out more: Summary of Events
Words about Wakefield: Voices from the Past
Volunteers from our Society’s membership read short extracts about life in Wakefield from a variety of different – and sometimes little-known – sources. These span the centuries from the establishment of the site of the town to 21st Century Wakefield. Each offers a brief glimpse into the period and the perspective of the writer. Readers were trained by Aiobheann Kelly, Head of Participation at the Wakefield Theatre Royal, and performances took place in the Town Hall on the 10th April, and at our final celebration on 14th December.
Read the booklet: Words about Wakefield
Wakefield Historical Society Tweets: ‘100 years of Wakefield Historical Society’
During our Centenary year Tweets were published weekly on Wakefield Historical Society’s X (Twitter) feed from 21st January to 13th December 2024. They were also added to our Facebook page and the blog on our website. They were written by Richard Knowles from his personal collection of documents and newspaper cuttings, with a lesser number from the Minutes of the Society.
They were compiled into a booklet for those who did not have access to social media, and made available at our Centenary event on 14th December.
Read the Tweets: ‘100 Years of Wakefield Historical Society
A video was made by Wakefield Council about our Centenary, and that of Wakefield Civic Society which can by found on YouTube:
Gallery of events during the year.
