Wakefield Historical Society

05/09/2026

Wednesday 9 September 'The Yorkshireman who mapped Elizabeth’s Realm’, talk by Dr. David Fletcher. West Yorkshire History Centre 127 Kirkgate, Wakefield, WF1 1JG 7pm.�

Dr. David Fletcher, author of The Queen’s Atlas: Saxton’s Elizabethan Masterpiece, will tell what is known of the story of the locally-born Christopher Saxton who, in just four years, mapped the whole of England and Wales, county by county.
All welcome. Visitors £2

01/09/2026

31/08/2026

A fantastic resource for the history of Wakefield!

🗞️ Next month is Heritage Open Days!

To mark the occasion, Wakefield Library are inviting you to come and explore their Local Studies Collection! You can see...

📰 historic newspapers
🖼️ old photographs
🤡 historic circus posters

And so much more!

📅 14 and 17 September ⏰ both 10am-2pm 📍 Wakefield Library



Wakefield Council Wakefield Museum Wakefield Civic Society Wakefield Historical Society

31/08/2026

The Chantry Chapel Wakefield is open today, August Bank Holiday Monday 11am to 3pm. Free Parking on the bridge outside .you chace to see inside the beatfull Chapel

29/08/2026

New post on the Matthew Tomlinson Journals blog:

Twenty three years after Andrew Meikle, a Scottish engineer invented a threshing machine, Tomlinson escaped injury when he was working on his new 'thrashing machiene':

Andrew Meikle’s threshing machine 1786 courtesy Pinterest August 1809 27th Am at present very busy in ploting and planing about my new Thrashing Machiene,  it perhaps takes up more …

28/08/2026

Talk "Bucklers' Yorkshire Buildings" on 17 September
Wakefield Civic Society meeting

There is an opportunity to hear Michael Rochford and Peter Brears, both members of our Society, talk about the background to their newly published book "Bucklers' Yorkshire Buildings: the Architectural and Topographical Drawings of John Buckler and John Chessell Buckler of 1804-1820" at the Wakefield Civic Society meeting on 17 November.

Between 1804 and 1820 the Bucklers made a remarkably comprehensive graphic record of hundreds of Yorkshire's finest and most interesting buildings, many now lost and forgotten. In this impressive book there are 34 plates in full colour and 181reproduced from the original pencil drawings, accompanied by explanatory text. The book includes many drawings of Wakefield including the Chantry Chapel.

More information and to book: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bucklers-yorkshire-buildings-tickets-1997146240166?aff=ebdsoporgprofile&_gl=1*17y9wsy*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTk5NDE1ODk3OC4xNzg3OTMxNjg1*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3ODc5MzE2ODQkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODc5MzE2ODQkajYwJGwwJGgwJGRKa3cxLTAydlRQWVlRRW1KcHplam5FYm5ZbndVUWZuM1Vn

25/08/2026

25/08/2026

Talk at Wakefield and District Family History Society:

A SCHOOLBOY IN WARTIME WAKEFIELD
Days at the Methodist Day School in Thornhill Street, and Thornes House, and the impact of the 39/45 War

Talk by Gerry Southworth, Saturday 5 September

The number of people who have personal memories of Wakefield during the second World War are dwindling, so it should be interesting to learn of Gerry Southworth's experience.

Born and bred in the centre of Wakefield, Gerry Southworth, after National Service, went to the University of Leeds where he graduated in Economic History in 1952. Retirement took Gerry and his wife to Dorset where they have lived happily for many years, although he still has a love of the North, and Wakefield in particular.

Outwood Memorial Hall, Leeds Road / Zoom
Sep 5th 10.30 (Hall opens 9.30 Zoom opens 10.00)

24/08/2026

The Hewitsons and the Wakefield Herald: Diaries are now online

In October 2025 our Society had a talk by Dr Andrew Hobbs about the Hewitsons and the Wakefield Herald 1894 to 1932. Dr Hobbs has been researching the diaries written by Anthony Hewitson who bought the Wakefield Herald about 1894. Hewitson moved over to Wakefield, renting a house in Garden Street. Sadly, he didn’t enjoy a good reputation during his time in Wakefield. This was reciprocated by him - his diaries show him to be argumentative and litigious with a poor view of Wakefield and its inhabitants.

Dr Hobbs has now made the diaries available online, and they are downloadable as PDFs, providing an interesting perspective into Wakefield at the turn of the century. This is the link to Book 2 that covers the period he was in Wakefield, Volume 1 is also available.:

Journalist Anthony Hewitson (1836-1912) worked in one of the largest sectors of the periodical press, provincial newspapers. His diaries, written between 1865 and 1912, reveal the people, processes and networks involved in the creation of Victorian newspapers.

24/08/2026