The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
- FORMERLY THE ESSEX ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY FOUNDED 1852
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2023
The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Trustees and Corporate Information | 1 |
| Trustees’ Report | 2 |
| Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement | 7 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 7 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 8 |
| Balance Sheet | 9 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 10 |
| Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 17th June 2023 | 15 |
The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Trustees and Corporate Information
Patron: Lord Petre, K.C.V.O., J.P., M.A. Vice-Presidents: W.M. Abbott, M.A., F.I.A. D.G. Buckley, B.Sc., M.C.If.A., F.S.A. A. Corder-Birch, D.L., F.S.A. Dr. P.M. Leach, B.A., M.B.B.S. A.B. Phillips, B.E.M., B.A. H.M. Stuchfield, M.B.E., J.P., D.L., F.S.A., F.R.Hist.S. Dr. C.C. Thornton, B.A., Ph.D., F.S.A., F.R.Hist.S. Trustees: N.P. Wickenden, M.A., A.M.A., F.S.A. President H. Brooks, B.A., M.C.If.A., F.S.A. Secretary W.M. Abbott, M.A., F.I.A. Treasurer M. Atkinson, B.A., M.C.If.A. A. Corder-Birch, D.L., F.S.A. A. Crosby, B.A., M.Soc.Sc., F.S.A. Chairman E.I.A.G. K.L. Crowe, B.Ed., M.A., A.M.A. Dr. M.E. Curteis, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., A.M.A., F.R.N.S. T. O’Connor, B.Sc., M.Sc. L.E.A. Pooley, M.A. P. Sainsbury, S.E.N. H.M. Stuchfield, M.B.E., J.P., D.L., F.S.A., F.R.Hist.S.* Curator: P.J. Wise, M.A.(Cantab.), Cert.Mus.Stud., A.M.A., M.C.If.A., F.S.A. Independent Examiner: P. Evans, F.M.A.A.T. Registered Charity No.: 213218 Registered Office: 13 Greeenacres, Mile End, Colchester, Essex CO4 5DX Bankers: Barclays Bank PLC, Brentwood Blog: www.esah160.blogspot.co.uk Twitter: https//twitter.com/ESAH160 Website: www.esah1852.org.uk * Membership Secretary
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Trustees’ Report
Structure Governance and management
The organisation is an unincorporated association, originally founded as the Essex Archaeological Society in 1852, changing its name to the Essex Society for Archaeology and History in 1985. It is governed by a constitution as revised and adopted at the 2015 A.G.M. It registered as a charity in 1962. Its objects as stated in the constitution are:
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to promote and encourage the study of archaeology and history in the historic county of Essex;
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in furtherance of the above, to publish the results of such studies in the Society’s journal, and to disseminate information on Essex archaeology and history through the appropriate media;
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to organise conferences, lectures and visits for the benefit of members and interested members of the public, and to educate the wider community and other bodies on matters of common interest and concern; and
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to provide library facilities for Society members and other members of the public.
The management of the Society is vested in a Council of Management who are the trustees of the Society. There are six trustees who are directly elected at the A.G.M., as are the President, Secretary and Treasurer, who are ex-officio members of Council. There are a number of members who serve the Society in various capacities and, as proposed by Council, further ex-officio members are elected onto Council at the A.G.M. The list of trustees is set out on page 1.
Council is aided in undertaking its responsibilities by various committees which report directly to Council, namely Publications and Research Committee, Library and Archives Committee and the Programme Committee. In addition it has special interest sections, named the Essex Industrial Archaeology Group and the Essex Place Names Project, both of which are financially supported. The society is continuing the activities previously associated with the Essex Archaeological and Historical Congress. In 2021 it has taken on the assets and liabilities of the Essex Journal . The trustees retain the direct responsibility for, and active supervision of, expenditure.
The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of this report have complied with their duty to have regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers or duties.
Inevitably the pandemic disrupted the normal work of the Society, however although physical meetings were not possible the Council continued to meet via Zoom. Similarly, the work of the Committees was carried out via email and zoom meetings. As ever Council is extremely grateful to all those who have given their time and energy to serve on these committees, as well as to those who have represented the Society on other bodies, particularly this year with all its disruptions.
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Trustees’ Report
Review
I would perhaps describe 2023 as a stand still year for the Society, albeit now recovered from the COVID years. There have been a number of successes, notably the formal launch of the Chelmer Valley Landscape Group in October, followed by an excellent Symposium day in Chelmsford, when participants were able to view an actual Roman dodecahedron from Harlow, as made famous by another one appearing with Alice Roberts on Digging for Britain . Our publication record continues apace, with the publication of volume 12 of the Transactions , and (albeit just into 2024) the long awaited Occasional Paper, Medieval Merchant , by Chris Starr.
Our membership stands as 324 individual and family members. Surely the population of a large county like Essex, with a fabulous archaeological and historical tradition, not to mention all the Essex-born people who have moved away, can muster more members of our Society? I would dread to think what the average age of our membership is. We are not alone, of course – every society is facing the same issues of a dwindling and ageing membership, with many officer positions vacant. We have tried, without success, for over two years to recruit a new Treasurer to work alongside, and take over from, Bill Abbott, who has done, and continues to do, sterling work for the Society for over 20 years.
One answer, of course, is to recruit younger members, by using social media, and we shall start to do this in a more earnest way, with the help of some of the staff from Colchester Archaeological Trust. After all, people can only find out about us, and our activities, if we can tell them about us in the first place. But just think if every member was able to recruit one other …
One issue we will increasingly face is that of the use of digital publishing, whether that is our own publications in the future, or how our members can access digitally published literature in the Albert Sloman Library at the University.
The rate of development in the county shows little sign of slowing, though solar fields are rapidly replacing building construction as a new occupier of land. The Society faces a number of problems in having the expertise and independence to write submissions on planning applications. However, one to keep an eye on will be the proposed Norwich to Tilbury inland National Grid line of electricity pylons. Just to pick on one known site, the line appears to go straight through a known Roman building, possibly a temple, in the field called Dragonsfoot, not far from Broomfield church. It may, of course, be the catalyst to get that strange site finally properly excavated!
But now to be more positive! The Society has had another busy year, with a programme of visits masterminded once again and run by Jane Pearson.
The Society visited St. Osyth in March, Harlow Museum bicycle collection in July, and Beeleigh Mill in August. Two visits, to Southend Museum and historic Harwich, were postponed due to low numbers, but will hopefully be run again this year.
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Trustees’ Report
Jane reports “the visit to Harlow Museum was one of the highlights for me. The bicycle collection is very carefully chosen and volunteers dressed appropriately were brilliant at opening our eyes to how the bicycle evolved. I have always wondered why anyone would have bothered to master the penny farthing as a good way of getting from A to B and was told the reason was because they went thrillingly fast! Beeleigh Mill was also a memorable visit, again because the volunteers brought it alive for us.”
The E.I.A.G. hosted the East of England Region Industrial Archaeology Conference. Tony Crosby, the Chairman, writes: “on 10th June we hosted this year’s E.E.R.I.A.C. at Chelmsford Museum, which proved to be a very successful event. Attendance was 28, the highest since pre-COVID times, with delegates coming from the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge I.A. Societies as well as E.I.A.G. members. Feedback at and after the event was very positive and complimentary. In the morning Alan Pamphilon gave a very concise history of Chelmsford’s extensive industrial past, then followed by Brian Izzard who shared his personal reflections of working for Marconi’s. After the lunch break delegates had an opportunity to view the displays in the museum particularly those relating to Chelmsford industries and take part in one of three guided walks around the Moulsham area to view some of the important industrial sites such as Clarkson’s National Steam Car Company, Crompton’s Arc Works and John Hall’s silk mill which became Marconi’s wireless factory.”
The E.I.A.G., spearheaded by Tony Crosby, has managed to continue to meet on Zoom throughout the year. Reports and newsletters are available on our website.
Our last event of 2023 was the Symposium, held in November at Christchurch in Chelmsford. I am pleased to say this event has had a resurgence since COVID. The £10 ticket also included a sandwich lunch and refreshments, and so represents excellent value and a great way to keep in touch with archaeological and historical research in the county. This year, we heard from James Alexander, about a Roman Villa at Newhall, Harlow (complete with the dodecahedron), Adam Wightman about the Essex County Hospital Site in Colchester, Paul Drury about medieval floor tiles in Essex and East Anglia, David Grocott about Essex medievalism and John Ball, and myself about the history of Wilkin & Sons jam making in Tiptree. I stood in for Christopher Thompson who was due to speak about the crisis of the late 1620s. Christopher was sadly not well enough to speak, but he has been invited back.
The Society also supported a day’s conference in September 2023 at the Essex Record Office, entitled “Above and below: the archaeology and history of Essex castles”. Attendees heard current research about the county’s castles at Clavering, Colchester, Hedingham and Pleshey, with a masterly overview at the end by Prof. Robert Liddiard from U.E.A.
One of the highlights of the formal launch of the Chelmer Valley Landscape Group in October was the celebration of J.A. Baker, the celebrated Chelmsford resident and author of The Peregrine . I am pleased to say that Chelmsford Museum, in conjunction with the University Library at Wivenhoe Park, is holding a temporary exhibition about his life and work this year, including some of his original notebooks and manuscripts.
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Trustees’ Report
The Society awarded grants to Andrew Phillips for his book on Paxmans (see below), to David Grocott, for his continuing Ph.D. studies, and to Colchester & Ipswich Museums for the purchase of a selection of medieval silver pennies from the Braintree Hoard.
News now of some of our Worthies, to use an expression coined by Charles E. Benham. Andrew Phillips published his second great work on Paxmans of Colchester, this time covering the period from 1918 until final closure in 2022. As I write this, the future of what is left of the Paxman archive and machinery in storage is very much in the balance. I am pleased that the Society was able to help with publication costs of this important not-for-profit book with a grant of £800. Paul Drury spoke to the Symposium in November about the history of decorated medieval floor tiles in the county and East Anglia, and we look forward to the publication soon of his corpus of the industries. Philip Crummy retired towards the end of 2023 as the Director of Colchester Archaeological Trust, having been in post for some 52 years! He must be the longest serving unit director in British history! His discovery of Britain’s only Roman chariot racing circus celebrates its twentieth anniversary in 2024. Finally during the financial year we are reporting on, we lost great friends and past Presidents in Mark Davies and Jenny Ward.
I might take the opportunity for a plug. Eagle-eyed members may have spotted on B.B.C. news in January 2024 an article about the centenary of the Dolls House made for Queen Mary, by the architect Edwin Lutyens, in 1924. Holders of the Royal Warrants were invited to make perfect miniatures of their products at a scale of 1:12 – and who could turn down the request! Accordingly, Wilkin & Sons made twelve miniature jam jars of their Tiptree products, each filled with the actual jam on the label, and these can still be seen in the Dolls House at Windsor Castle. One of the miniatures, 12mm high, can also be seen in the jam factory museum at Tiptree (admission free)!
Membership of the Society continues to be excellent value for money and your Council is still holding its subscription rates unchanged. Not only does it give one the programme of events and visits, but of course the annual Transactions , and more recently the Essex Journal , and Newsletter. In addition, every now and then, members receive free of charge a publication in our Occasional Papers series. I would like to thank our editors, Paul Gilman ( Transactions ), Steve Pollington ( Essex Journal ) and Victoria Rathmill (Newsletter) for their hard work in producing these throughout the year.
At the end of 2023 the Society had 324 (2022: 337) fully paid individual members, of whom 63 (2022: 67) are family members and 28 (2022: 32) are associates. It also has 67 (2022: 73) paying institutional members. In addition to these 391 (2022: 410) paying members we reciprocate publications with 27 (2022: 30) other institutions and distribute our publications to 11 (2022: 11) other institutions.
The Society’s extensive Library continues to be held in the Albert Sloman Library at the University of Essex, to which we extend our gratitude. I would remind members that there is no longer a need to show a membership card, which we are discontinuing, but an advance phone call is always a good idea.
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Trustees’ Report
Other regular reports to Council include the Victoria County History, C.B.A. London and C.B.A. East, the Friends of Historic Essex, the Essex Record Office, and the Chelmer Valley Landscape Group.
On behalf of all members, I would like to thank the Society’s Officers, Trustees, Council, Committees and Representatives on other bodies for all their hard work and support during the year. The Society could not operate without people who are willingly prepared to give their time for free, in so many different ways. Only some of the people have been acknowledged personally in my report, but I am grateful for everyone who has contributed. My three year period as President comes to an end with this A.G.M. It has been all too brief, but a real eye opener about the breadth of our archaeological and historical research underway in the county, and the hard work put in by your Council. I have been honoured to play a small part.
Nick Wickenden, President 27th April 2024
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement
The charity trustees are responsible for preparing a receipts and payments account and a statement of assets and liabilities for each financial year that properly present the charity’s receipts and payments during the year and its assets and liabilities at the end of the year. In preparing these statements, the trustees are required to:
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Select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
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Make judgements that are reasonable and prudent; and
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Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is
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inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which enable them to ensure that the receipts and payments account and statement of assets and liabilities comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Statement of the Independent Examiner
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commission.
An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a’ true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below:
During my examination, no matter has come to my attention which
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a) gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act 2011 and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act, have not been met; or
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b) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Peter Evans (Fellow Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians) 12th April 2024
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Statement of Financial Activities
for the year ended 31st December 2023
| 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Incoming resources | ||
| Members subscriptions (note 2) | 13,149 | 13,817 |
| Publications: grants and sales (note 3) | 4,909 | 9,011 |
| Other income (note 4) | 1,934 | 313 |
| Income from investments | 5,769 | 4,629 |
| 1111 | 1111 | |
| Total incoming resources | 25,761 | 27,770 |
| aaaa | aaaa | |
| Resources used | ||
| Production costs:Transactions(note 3) | 9,857 | 22,721 |
| Production costs: Newsletters | 4,730 | 7,568 |
| Administration costs (note 5) | 5,457 | 5,791 |
| Other expenditure (note 6) | 4,594 | 4,213 |
| 1111 | 1111 | |
| Total resources used | 24,638 | 40,293 |
| aaaa | aaaa | |
| Net incoming/(outgoing) resources | 1,123 | (12,523) |
| Gains/(losses) on unrealised investments | 3,083 | (10,887) |
| 1111 | 1111 | |
| Increase/(decrease) in funds | 4,206 aaaa |
(23,410) aaaa |
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Balance Sheet
as at 31st December 2023
| 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|
| £ | £ |
| Library books100,000 | 100,000 |
| Investments (note 7)131,270 | 98,187 |
| 1111 | 1111 |
| Fixed assets 231,270 | 198,187 |
| aaaa | aaaa |
| Deposit and current accounts (note 8)40,681 | 71,860 |
| Other (note 9)4,425 | 798 |
| 1111 | 1111 |
| Current assets 45,106 | 72,658 |
| aaaa | aaaa |
| Current liabilities(advance subscriptions) (1,450) | (125) |
| 1111 | 1111 |
| Total assets 274,926 | 270,720 |
| aaaa | aaaa |
| Unrestricted funds – general109,636 | 106,336 |
| Restricted funds (note 10)65,290 | 64,384 |
| Historic book collection100,000 | 100,000 |
| 1111 | 1111 |
| Fixed assets 274,926 aaaa |
270,720 aaaa |
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31st December 2023
1 General
These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.
Designated funds form part of the general funds but relate to funds which Council have designated as being for a specific purpose. The restricted funds reflect constraints imposed by the donors of the funds. The historic book collection is classified as designated. The collection is maintained in the Albert Sloman Library at the University of Essex, it is not available for sale and the value shown is a conservative estimate of its market value if it were to be available for sale.
Computers and new books purchased are written off on purchase.
| 2 | Members subscriptions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||
| £ | £ | ||||
| E.S.A.H. | 10,099 | 10,557 | |||
| Essex Journal | 1,615 | 1,766 | |||
| Gift Aid | 1,435 | 1,494 | |||
| 1111 | 1111 | ||||
| 13,149 | 13,817 | ||||
| aaaa | aaaa | ||||
| 3 | Publications: grants and sales | ||||
| 2023 Analysis | Timber- | ||||
| Framed | |||||
| Trans | MillsBuildings of | ||||
| Vol. 12 | Booklet | Colchester | Total | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Income | |||||
| Grant income | 4,315 | — | — | 4,315 | |
| Publications: grants and sales | — | 183 | 411 | 594 | |
| 1111 | 1111 | 1111 | 1111 | ||
| 4,315 | 183 | 411 | 4,909 | ||
| aaaa | aaaa | aaaa | aaaa | ||
| Expenditure | |||||
| Printing | 7,619 | — | — | 7,619 | |
| Other, including distribution | 2,238 | — | — | 2,238 | |
| 1111 | 1111 | 1111 | 1111 | ||
| 9,857 | — | — | 9,857 | ||
| aaaa | aaaa | aaaa | aaaa | ||
| Net income/(expenditure) | (5,542) aaaa |
183 aaaa |
411 aaaa |
(4,948) aaaa |
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31st December 2023
| 3 | Publications: grants and sales(continued) | Publications: grants and sales(continued) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Analysis | Timber- | |||||
| Framed | ||||||
| Trans | MillsBuildings of | |||||
| Vol. | 11 | Booklet Colchester | Total | |||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Income | ||||||
| Grant income | 4,930 | 600 | 3,150 | 8,680 | ||
| Publications: grants and sales | — | 331 | — | 331 | ||
| 1111 | 1111 | 1111 | 1111 | |||
| 4,930 | 931 | 3,150 | 9,011 | |||
| aaaa | aaaa | aaaa | aaaa | |||
| Expenditure | ||||||
| Printing | 5,322 | 1,398 | 13,732 | 20,452 | ||
| Other including distribution | 2,122 | — | 147 | 2,269 | ||
| 1111 | 1111 | 1111 | 1111 | |||
| 7,444 | 1,398 | 13,879 | 22,721 | |||
| aaaa | aaaa | aaaa | aaaa | |||
| Net (expenditure) | (2,514) | (467) | (10,729) | (13,710) | ||
| aaaa | aaaa | aaaa | aaaa | |||
| 4 | Other income | |||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| £ | £ | |||||
| Cash Flow from visits and other events | 121 | (235) | ||||
| Donations | 1,500 | 44 | ||||
| Licensing fees and royalties | 77 | 168 | ||||
| Sale of library stock (including Trail) | 236 | 336 | ||||
| 1111 | 1111 | |||||
| 1,934 | 313 | |||||
| aaaa | aaaa | |||||
| Licensing royalties and proceeds from the sale | of library stock have been | attributed | ||||
| to the P.R.F. | ||||||
| 5 | Administration costs | |||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| £ | £ | |||||
| Dispatching mailings | 1,527 | 277 | ||||
| Editors’ honoraria | 1,550 | 1,400 | ||||
| Insurance | 75 | 75 | ||||
| Printing flyers, etc. | 942 | 2,312 | ||||
| Room hire (including Zoom) | 741 | 403 | ||||
| Website | 484 | 1,324 | ||||
| Other | 138 | — | ||||
| 1111 | 1111 | |||||
| 5,457 aaaa |
5,791 aaaa |
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31st December 2023
| 6 | Other expenditure | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Donations (note 6a) | 3,150 | 3,406 | |
| Purchase of books | 82 | 527 | |
| Reprint of Chelmsford Industrial Trail | 1,114 | — | |
| Sundries –_Essex Journal_index launch | — | 120 | |
| Subscriptions paid | 248 | 160 | |
| 1111 | 1111 | ||
| 4,594 | 4,213 | ||
| aaaa | aaaa | ||
| 6a | Donations | ||
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Braintree Hoard Coins | 2,000 | — | |
| Dendrochronology Report – St. Mary’s, Broomfield | 100 | 750 | |
| Dick Nunny Smith Preservation Trust | — | 50 | |
| Funding research on Epping Forest habitation | — | 717 | |
| Illustrations for Rochford paper | — | 639 | |
| Media work on West Hanningfield church belfry | — | 1,000 | |
| Paxman Archive Trust | 800 | — | |
| Support for David Grocott’s Ph.D. thesis | 250 | 250 | |
| 1111 | 1111 | ||
| 3,150 | 3,406 | ||
| aaaa | aaaa | ||
| 7 | Investments | ||
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| COIF Charities Short Duration Bond Fund (income units)19,285 | 18,319 | ||
| COIF Charities Investment Fund (income units) | 37,641 | 34,473 | |
| M&G Charifund | 74,344 | 45,395 | |
| 1111 | 1111 | ||
| 131,270 aaaa |
98,187 aaaa |
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31st December 2023
| 8 | Deposit and current accounts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Barclay Bank balances – current | 10,760 | 69,804 | |
| Barclay Bank balances – savings | 26,717 | 426 | |
| COIF deposits | 3,204 | 1,630 | |
| 1111 | 1111 | ||
| 40,681 | 71,860 | ||
| aaaa | aaaa | ||
| 9 | Other current assets | ||
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Advance payments | 770 | 638 | |
| Grants due for_Transactions_ | 2,895 | — | |
| PayPal | 160 | 160 | |
| Refund due for_Essex Journal_printing | 600 | — | |
| 1111 | 1111 | ||
| 4,425 | 798 | ||
| aaaa | aaaa | ||
| 10 | Restricted funds | ||
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Essex Mills Fund | 2,181 | 1,998 | |
| _Essex Journal_index | 2,556 | 2,556 | |
| Medieval Merchant | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| Pleshey project | 39 | 39 | |
| Publications and Research Fund (“P.R.F.”) | 59,514 | 58,791 | |
| 1111 | 1111 | ||
| 65,290 aaaa |
64,384 aaaa |
Essex Mills Fund
Seeded by the residual amount from the monies received on taking over the Essex Mills Trust enhanced by sales of related publications and available for mills related projects.
Essex Journal index
Pre-funding for an Index for the Essex Journal acquired on assumption of the responsibility for that publication.
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31st December 2023
10 Restricted funds (continued)
Medieval Merchant
Pre-funding for an Occasional Paper (published in 2024).
Pleshey Project
The Society is in receipt of grants to fund writing up Bassett’s excavation work at Pleshey in the 1970s. Eventually this work will be published as an Occasional Paper.
Publication and Research Fund (“P.R.F.”)
The P.R.F. exists to support the publications and research of the Society. Specific subscriptions to this fund have been received on the basis that they would form an endowment fund generating income which would support the purpose of the fund This inalienable element of the fund amounts to £32,465. Subsequent attributions to the fund have not been so constrained.
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at the church dedicated to St. Mary and St. Leonard, Church Green, Broomfield, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 7BE on Saturday, 17th June 2023 at 10.30a.m.
In the Chair: Nick Wickenden (President)
Trustees: Adrian Corder-Birch (Vice-President) and Paul Sainsbury Associate members of Council: Lucy Jack (Minutes Secretary) and Philip Wise (Curator)
also Ros Mercer and Neil Wiffen (speakers) and thirteen other members of the Society
1. Opening remarks
The President welcomed members and thanked the parochial church council of Broomfield church for hosting. He noted the death and had attended the funeral of Mark Davies, Vice-President and Past President, who had been influential in the fields of archaeology and heritage, especially in Colchester.
2. Apologies for absence
Apologies for absence were received from Bill Abbott, David Andrews, Howard Brooks, Tony Crosby, Ken Crowe, Mark Curteis, Paul Gilman, Michael Leach, Jane Pearson, Andrew Phillips, Steve Pollington, Victoria Rathmill, Martin Stuchfield and Chris Thornton.
3. To approve the minutes of the A.G.M. held on 25th June 2022
The minutes of the 2022 A.G.M., as published in the Annual Report and Accounts, were approved as a correct record.
4. Matters arising
Minute 11: Ten Year Strategy
The President noted that the Council and Library, Programme and Publications and Research Committees were addressing issues and looking at which actions to prioritise in the next few years.
5. President’s Report for 2022
A detailed report published in the Annual Report and Accounts had previously been circulated to all members. The President noted that 2022 had seen a return of pre-pandemic activities, including the visits programme, a highlight of which had been the tour of Colchester Castle Museum with Paul Sealey. The first Symposium since the pandemic had been held in November with an encouraging attendance level and interesting talks on local archaeology and history. The Industrial Heritage Fair held in October had had lower numbers of visitors but the participation of local societies and enjoyable exploration of Silver End.
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
The Society’s healthy financial situation continued to allow several grants, including to Broomfield church for a dendrochronology survey of the spire. Neil Wiffen would be presenting a talk on this after the meeting and a report would be published in Transactions . E.S.A.H. also contributed to restoring and interpreting the rare medieval bells and belfry at West Hanningfield church. On the President’s invitation, Philip Wise reported that he was grateful for the Society’s support to acquire rare, Colchester mint, late Saxon coins from the Braintree Hoard for Colchester Museums.
The President reported that the latest issue of Transactions would soon be circulated to members. As well as Transactions , the biannual Essex Journal and the newsletter, the Society had published Timber-Framed Buildings of Colchester, as an Occasional Publication, and a booklet Discovering Essex Wind and Water Mills produced by E.I.A.G. He thanked the Society’s editors: Paul Gilman ( Transactions ), Steve Pollington ( Essex Journal ) and Victoria Rathmill (Newsletter) for their work and all those who contribute to the running of E.S.A.H. including the sub committees and representatives on other organisations.
6. To approve the 2022 Annual Report and Accounts
The Annual Report and Accounts for 2022 had been previously circulated to all members and upon the proposal of Paul Sainsbury, seconded by Adrian Corder-Birch, were unanimously approved.
The President noted that the Society was keen to find an understudy for the Hon. Treasurer, Bill Abbott, who had been in post since 2003.
7. Election of Independent Examiner
Peter Evans had indicated that he was willing to continue and was re-elected unanimously.
8. Election of President, Secretary and Treasurer for 2023-2024
Nick Wickenden, Howard Brooks and Bill Abbott had indicated that they were willing to stand for the positions of President, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer respectively were unanimously re-elected. They would be ex-officio members of Council.
9. Election of Vice-Presidents for 2023-2024
The current Vice-Presidents, Dave Buckley, Adrian Corder-Birch, Michael Leach, Andrew Phillips, Martin Stuchfield and Chris Thornton had all indicated that they were willing to continue. Bill Abbott had agreed to be nominated as an additional Vice-President. Their election was proposed by the President, seconded by Philip Wise and carried unanimously.
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The Essex Society for Archaeology & History
10. Election of an additional Trustee for 2023-2026
The Constitution requires six members to be elected to the Executive Council. Laura Pooley agreed to be nominated for a three-year term in accordance with clause D2 of the constitution. On the President’s invitation she reported that she was a post excavation manager at Colchester Archaeological Trust where she had worked since 2015. Her election was proposed by Carol Colbron, seconded by Paul Sainsbury and carried unanimously.
11. Any other business .
There was no further business and the meeting closed at 11.30a.m.
The formal business was followed by refreshments and talks by Neil Wiffen on the history of Broomfield church, including details of the 15th century spire survey enabled by E.S.A.H.’s grant, and by Ros Mercer on the artist Rosemary Rutherford, the subject of the current exhibition in the church, who painted a fresco in the tower and created some of the stained-glass windows.
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