Welcome to our website
We hope you enjoy looking at our website, which we created in Autumn 2015 to provide information about the history of East Keswick, and about the East Keswick Local History Group. The website is in the course of being developed, with new content being added.
East Keswick is a village 10 miles north east of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. Its history dates back to the Doomsday Book.
The Local History Group undertakes research into the history of East Keswick and the surrounding area. It has around 50 members and meets regularly in the village. We also have a couple of outside meetings each year. New members are always welcome.
Photographs - December 2020 update - Some more photos have been uploaded - see the photo galleries page
East Keswick is a village 10 miles north east of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. Its history dates back to the Doomsday Book.
The Local History Group undertakes research into the history of East Keswick and the surrounding area. It has around 50 members and meets regularly in the village. We also have a couple of outside meetings each year. New members are always welcome.
Photographs - December 2020 update - Some more photos have been uploaded - see the photo galleries page
Our meetings
Anyone is welcome to attend our meetings, which are mostly free to members, and £5 to non members.
Unless otherwise stated, meetings are at 8pm in the Verity Room of East Keswick Village Hall (School Lane, East Kewsick, Leeds LS17 9DA).
Unless otherwise stated, meetings are at 8pm in the Verity Room of East Keswick Village Hall (School Lane, East Kewsick, Leeds LS17 9DA).
2021 Meeting Programme
Our meeting programme is due to recommence in September with meetings held as before, in the Verity Room of the Village Hall at 8pm. If for Covid related or any other reason, meetings have to be cancelled, details will be posted promptly on this webpage.
Thursday 16 September: Our 20th AGM. A short business meeting will be followed by "What's in a name? Stories behind Stourton, South Leeds" - a talk by Peter Harding.
Thursday 4th November: Memories of life growing up in a Yorkshire village before the 1st World War - collected by Joyce Evans
Sgt Tom Potter, the great uncle of one of our members Joyce Evans, wrote his memories of the 1st World War while still serving in France in 1919. In his 80s, he wrote about his early life growing up in a Yorkshire village.
His upbringing in a rural labouring family and his experiences as a soldier in the 1st World War would have been typical of many of the East Keswick village lads who responded to the Call to Arms 1914-18.
This interactive presentation will hopefully shed light on the early lives of those young men who left East Keswick for the Great War with such an anticipation of adventure.
Thursday 9th December - our Christmas meeting: The Life and Death of Margaret Clitherow in Tudor York: in this talk local author Tony Morgan will outline the history behind Margaret Clitherow, a woman accused of harbouring Catholic priests in her home in York in 1586. Incredibly, her step father was Lord Mayor at the time, and Margaret's story is filled with politics, intrigue and ultimately martyrdom.
Membership
You don’t have to be actively involved in researching local history to become a member. If you have an interest in the history of East Keswick and the surrounding area you should find our programme interesting. For an annual subscription (currently £10) members will receive a newsletter, and entrance to most meetings will be free.
Contact Liz Parr, Secretary, email: ekhistory@gmail.com
You don’t have to be actively involved in researching local history to become a member. If you have an interest in the history of East Keswick and the surrounding area you should find our programme interesting. For an annual subscription (currently £10) members will receive a newsletter, and entrance to most meetings will be free.
Contact Liz Parr, Secretary, email: ekhistory@gmail.com