Weston Turville Historical Society

 Let History's darker side enlighten you! WTHSoc June 2025 Meeting Details Date - 27 June 2025 Time - 20:00 (Doors open 19:30) Location - Weston Turville Village Hall Title - “Grave Robbers” Speaker – Steve Bacon Entrance - £2 members, £3 visitors   Step into the shadows of history and uncover the fascinating—and unsettling—world of grave robbing. Join us as Steve Bacon, historian and former primary school teacher, delves into the notorious profession of resurrectionists. Through the compelling character of Nehemiah Bacon, Steve reveals how grave robbing shaped the progress of medicine, navigated the law, and challenged public morality. Discover the secrets of this lurid trade, including the cunning art of “leave no trace” and the surprising alliances with surgeons and magistrates. Learn about the hefty rewards for grave robbers and the chilling tales of those who took even darker routes, sparking outrage that forever altered the laws. Though the Anatomy Act of 1832 and pu...

WTHSoc May 2025 Meeting Details Date - 30 May 2025 Time - 20:00 (Doors open 19:30) Location - Weston Turville Village Hall Title - “The Walls Have Tongues” Speaker – Sue Flipping Entrance - £2 members, £3 visitors   “The Walls have tongues” Sue Flipping Meeting on Friday 30 th May 2025 If you know how to look, you'll find that many of our medieval churches are covered with graffiti – deliberate markings in the fabric of the church. The marks range from clumsy, hand-drawn shapes to images of mythical creatures to elegant geometric designs. As part of a nationwide project to record the graffiti, I've personally surveyed dozens of churches over seven years, climbing towers rich in pigeon poo, crawling around dusty pews and lying prone to examine strange marks at church mouse level. By recording everything, we hope to make sense of the mix of religious belief, folkl...