Lecture Programme for 2026
Wakefield Historical Society meetings are usually held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at West Yorkshire History Centre, Kirkgate Wakefield, WF1 1JG. starting at 7pm. Non-members are welcome in person for a fee of £2, or can request a Zoom link when available for £5. Please contact us for more information and the Zoom link: info@WakefieldHistoricalSociety.org.uk
Information about our next meeting:
14 October 2026 at West Yorkshire History Centre Kirkgate, 7pm.
‘The Later Listers of Shibden Hall – 1854-1933”, talk by David Glover (President of Halifax Antiquarian Society)
We all know of the famous Anne Lister, but there was far more about the Lister family of Halifax than the TV series portrayed. They had various medical links. West Indian slavery features, along with far-flung international travel. Finally, we hear about the final John Lister, founding president of The Halifax Antiquarian Society, and his financial issues during the 1920s, resulting in the selling off of all his farms in 1925.
Programme for 2026 – 2027
Wednesday 9th September: The Yorkshireman who mapped Elizabeth’s realm. Talk by Dr. David Fletcher about Christopher Saxton, the locally-born mapmaker during the reign of Elizabeth 1.
Wednesday 14th October :The Later Listers of Shibden Hall – 1854-1933, Talk by David Glover (President of Halifax Antiquarian Society) about the Listers who occupied Shibden Hall from 1854-1933.
Wednesday 11th November: ‘The Life and Work of Charles Alfred Stothard (1786-1821)’ by Richard Knowles, President of Wakefield Historical Society
Charles Alfred Stothard was an antiquarian draughtsman renowned for the remarkable accuracy of his work. He is perhaps best remembered for his Monumental Effigies of Great Britain, published in parts from 1811, and posthumously in 1832. In 1816 Stothard was commissioned by the Society of Antiquaries to draw the whole of the Bayeux Tapestry, a task which involved three visits to France in 1816, 1817 and 1818., when on that last visit, Anna Eliza accompanied him. It will be richly illustrated with examples of Stothard’s work, including his hand-coloured engraved images of the Bayeux Tapestry and original unpublished drawings preserved by Anna Eliza.
Wednesday 9th December: Reverend John Sharp of Horbury, talk by Fr. Christopher Johnson, about a former vicar of Horbury, John Sharp, whose father, Samuel Sharp, was vicar of Wakefield for 40 years.
Thursday 14th January: Joint Meeting with Wakefield Civic Society, details to be confirmed. Town Hall 7.30pm. Please note the change of day and venue.
Wednesday 10th February: The History of the Thoresby Society, talk by Steven Burt, author and historian, about Ralph Thoresby and the Thoresby Society which is based in Leeds
Wednesday 10th March: Society AGM and talks by members.