The 2024 FHE AGM was held at the Essex Record Office on Saturday 13 July. Over 30 Friends attended to undertake the formal business of the AGM which, chaired in a very efficient and business-like manner by our President Lord Petre, ran very smoothly and was concluded with a presentation to our outgoing Chair, Dr Chris Thornton, following on from his ten years of service. A small presentation was made by Lord Petre on behalf of the Friends which consisted of a boardgame (Chris is an avid ‘gamer’) along with a bottle or two of something sparkling. All those present gave Chris a very warm round of applause as a token of our appreciation for all that he has undertaken. Former ERO Principal Archivist Jenny Butler takes over from Chris, initially for a year. Stepping into Jenny’s role as Secretary is Dr Catherine Pearson who very generously volunteered to fill this post. Thanks also went to Janice Gooch who has stepped down as Hon Membership Secretary to be replaced by Rachael Bailey-Gibson.

The formal business of the AGM was followed by a lively presentation from landscape archaeologist and FHE Committee member, Simon Coxall, on what can be achieved from home when looking at the archaeology of the county – you can do much by never leaving your house.

Lunch followed, which was also an ideal opportunity to catch up with the many friends and users of the Record Office. After the break there were two presentations by the FHE sponsored MA students, David Perkins and Rielly Kitchener on their placements at ERO, respectively on settlement papers and the pacifist community at Frating Hall farm. They were followed by ERO Manager Martin Astell, who tested attendees’ knowledge of the county with a very enjoyable, but infuriating, photo quiz to see how well we knew the county. Who knew that local historians, archivists, and researchers could be quite so competitive.

A display of recently purchased documents, including many from the Foyle collection (as reported in the Spring 2024 issue of the FHE Newsletter), was then looked at and the day was concluded with afternoon tea and cake. All in all, a very successful event.

The FHE Committee would like to thank Martin Astell for allowing the AGM to be held at ERO, and to ERO Archivist Lara Kirkland for preparing the display of documents.

Neil Wiffen, FHE Committee member