## **GEORGIAN SOCIETY FOR EAST YORKSHIRE** ## **Chairman’s report for 2023** This has been another busy year for the Society as activities fully recovered from the impact of Covid and as we have made decisions on how to develop our objectives by use of the legacy from Margaret Dibb. I cover these and other key issues in the following sections. ## **Finances** We use the money from members’ subscriptions to maintain our running costs. These are relatively low (mainly postage and printing). Our members (including officers and committee members) give of their time entirely without cost - a major commitment which we should acknowledge and not take for granted. Margaret Dibb’s legacy has enabled us to extend our range of activities in advancing our purposes as a charity. In all cases we ensure that not only is the Society acknowledged but that, whenever appropriate, Margaret’s name is also used (as a kind of living memorial). We are deploying Margaret’s money carefully and strategically - as we will continue to do with any money given or bequeathed to our society. ## **Uses of the Dibb bequest** Margaret Dibb’s bequest has been used in a number of ways. Firstly, it enables us to give our members a more ambitious annual programme of visits and talks (see the sections on 2023 and 2024 below). Secondly, we have been able to help with the restoration of two major Georgian monuments (to the Pease family, in St Mary Lowgate and to the Thompson family in St Mary’s Cottingham). Thirdly, we have made an offer to support the archiving of the 1 Registered Charity no 213302 papers of Francis Johnson and Partners, a firm of architects that worked on many Georgian buildings in the area. The aim is to make the archive accessible to the public. Fourthly, we have been able to restart our Journal - the second issue dedicated to Barbara English, a member and a well-known and respected historian who has published many articles and books relevant to our period and to our locality; we wish Barbara (who celebrated her 90th birthday in 2023) many more happy and productive years. And finally we have been able to promote the Society more widely (for example by redeveloping the website and by sponsoring the New Paths Festival in September) thereby reaching new audiences with the aim of increasing our membership. ## **Development Officer** Sarah Curtis is into her second year in this role. As well as helping us put together our annual programme, Sarah is researching and designing new activities with the hope of expanding our membership. This has involved collaboration with other organisations, including relevant parts of East Riding of Yorkshire Council. In 2023 this included a concert of Georgian music (string quartets by Haydn and Hensel) held at Beverley’s largely 18th century Guildhall; in 2024 we hope to stage a family event to include an exhibition at the Guildhall, talks, demonstrations, dancing and costumes. ## **Membership** We have increased membership by over 10% since our previous AGM, when numbers were reported at 100 (they are now 112). This can be attributed to our enhanced activity and profile during 2023. Building membership (and particularly attracting younger members) remains a key objective. We lack email addresses for some members so can I encourage you again to let us have that, so we can keep in touch with you, especially if arrangements for visits change at the last moment; you can do this by sending details to info@gsey.org.uk We need members not just for financial reasons but also to provide ‘critical mass’, for example in making our various events viable. The larger the membership the more likely it is we can maintain a lively and active committee. I intend to say more on the particular need to recruit new committee members when I give this report at the AGM. 2 Registered Charity no 213302 ## **What we did in 2023** The speaker following the AGM was Dr Christopher Webster; his theme was Late Georgian Churches, on which he had recently published a detailed and lavishly illustrated book. As is now customary, we followed the AGM and lecture (now known as the Margaret Dibb lecture) with conversation, scones and tea. March saw us at Sewerby, a house easy for the public to access but we always try to add value to our visits and develop tours of specific Georgian interest - as in this case. Our first ‘Georgian concert’ was also in March. This was well-attended and met our objective of enabling contact with potential new members; several people joined GSEY after the concert. In May we were able to take members to a house not normally open to the public. Knedlington Old Hall is an artisan-mannerist building with elaborate gables, dating from the 17th century. The two owners Phil and Michael Thomas, who have carried out much sympathetic restoration work on the house and garden, gave the guided tour. After the tour we were able to talk informally to them over delicious home-made cakes. Our discussions with the Friends of St Mary Lowgate, over the restoration of the Pease monument led to guided tours of the church and its monuments (many to Hull merchants) together with an interesting talk on the restoration of the building - which has turned it into a comfortable as well as a more sustainable building. In July we went by coach to three churches (Harpham, Burton Agnes and Boynton) to look at painted glass of the Georgian period, designed by William Peckitt. At Boynton we also had a guided tour of the exterior of Boynton Hall before tea in the church hall (where not only cakes were on offer but also excellent preserves made in the village). We owe David Neave thanks for planning this unusual tour which widened our understanding of a lesser known art of the Georgian period (and, along the way, also showing us some fine monuments and furnishings of our period) We were fortunate to have an excellent additional guide in Professor Sarah Brown (of the University of York and the York Glaziers Trust). Our autumn programme began in September with two tours of Filey; in the morning the Old Town and in the afternoon New Filey, 3 Registered Charity no 213302 the late Georgian-early Victorian resort which grew up around the fishing village because of its picturesque setting in a sheltered bay with the rock promontory of the Brigg. In November we enjoyed an interesting and comprehensive talk by John Scotney on Georgian Hull Revisited, followed by tea. In December we supported a Georgian Christmas music concert at Cottingham. This was another good use of Dibb money - we met the costs of music hire, programme notes and refreshments. This was an excellent example of collaboration - enabling St Mary’s Cottingham to mount an event to raise money for the church and GSEY to make its presence known and potentially to recruit new members. ## **What we plan to do in 2024** You will receive the 2024 programme with this report so I won’t repeat what is there, rather encourage you to book early for a range of interesting events. These include lectures on topics of Georgian interest (such as Louise Wickham on Thomas White the landscape gardener and Susan Neave on John Courtney, the Beverley Georgian gentleman); access to houses not normally open to the public, shown over by their owners (as with Bridlington and Boynton) and guided tours of Goole, a Georgian town. In addition we have two innovative events: a ‘Georgian day’ at the Guildhall and a day conference on Immanuel Kant and Hull (to celebrate the tercentenary of Kant’s birth). This is another example of the benefits of collaboration, involving not only local organisations (the Hull History Centre and the University of Hull Maritime History Trust) but also internationally (the Friends of Kant and Konigsberg). ## **Thanks** I must end, as I usually do, with thanks to the people who have made all this possible in 2023. These include members of the committee, officers and those responsible for organising visits and publications, including David and Susan Neave for their work on the Journal, Austen Redman for his continuing input to planning and the website and Sarah Curtis our development officer. Roger Lewis, January 2024 4 Registered Charity no 213302 ## **The Georgian Society for East Yorkshire** ## **Statement of Receipts and Payments for the year ended 31 December 2023** |**Receipts**
Members subscriptons
Income from events
Proceeds of sale of books/DVDs
Beverley Town Map
Donatons
M Dibb bequest
Interest received
**Total receipts**
**Payments**
Expenses of events
Printng, statonery, postage and Ofcers' expenses
Books
Insurance
Plaques/Memorials
New Paths Music
Historic map of Beverley
Annual General Meetng
Accountancy and examinatons fee
Website development
Project ofcer (S Curts)
Bank charges
**Total payments**
**Net of receipts (payments)**
Cash funds last year end
Cash funds this year end|**2023**
**£**
828
1,854
75
274
40,052
857
£ 43,940
2,449
1,314
298
7,427
5,000
170
50
1,487
7,560
95
£ 25,850
18,090
242,004
£ 260,094|**2022**
**£**
690
828
10
1,231
49
160,266
539| |---|---|---| |||£ 163,613| |||789
908
100
283
414
-
-
50
87| |||£ 2,631| |||160,981
81,023| |||£ 242,004| Registered Charity No. 213302 ## **The Georgian Society for East Yorkshire** |**Statement of Assets and Liabilites**
**31 December 2023**
**Cash funds**
HSBC plc Current account
Virgin Charity account
Skipton Building Society|**2023**
**£**
31,492
143,602
85,000
£ 260,094|**2022**
**£**
14,259
227,745| |---|---|---| |||£ 242,004| Approved by the Executive Committee on and signed on their behalf by Registered Charity No. 213302 ## ## ## ## ##