History Project – Harewood End Agricultural Society

Further research has discovered that the Society originated from a meeting of farmers in 1890 at the Harewood End Inn, where they discussed who could produce the best grain and potatoes and keep the best livestock. In 1891 it was known as the Harewood End Ploughing Society, but shortly changed its name to the Harewood End Agricultural Society. With all this documentation it was decided to produce a history to be published in 2015 to celebrate 125 years of the Society. This will serve as a permanent record for future generations and contribute to further our knowledge of farming in South Herefordshire and the Wye Valley.

The History Project started well in 2013 with a funding of £2,000 from the Wye Valley AONB Sustainable Development Fund and some sponsorship from the society and its members. To comply with the funding a team of volunteers have attended research training sessions at HRO, HCL, Hereford Museum Resource Centre and the Ross Gazette Office delving into the archives and newspapers for reports, illustrations and adverts of society and farming news. Throughout the year team members have interviewed eleven individuals from an earlier generation who were connected with the society or farming in the area.

Our displays have become newsworthy since we won first prize at the Local History Day School winning £50 for the history project. Other displays were shown at Kings Caple, Hentland, the HEAS Horse Show, Herefordshire Country Fair and the National Ploughing Championships where the project collected more photographs, memories and cups to add to their growing archive. Our publicity has regularly appeared in the Ross Gazette, Hereford Times, magazines, Ross Civic Society and FHRO newsletters with an interview on BBC Hereford and Worcester and the Courtyard Theatre website.

We have been fortunate to access three diaries from the farming community, two dating from the First World War and one from the 1950s which have provided contemporary accounts of farming and the HEAS. The cups and trophies have been beautifully photographed and their history is being researched by volunteers. Others have been involved with the Women’s Land Army during WW1 and WW2, the Young Farmers Club, researching the farming families, helping with interviews, escorting school visits and planning a school film project, searching the archives and creating our displays.

Five chapters of the History of the Harewood End Agricultural Society have been researched and written and numerous illustrations have been selected. The book will contain an appendix listing past presidents, cups and trophies, key dates, sponsors and the steering committee. All chapters will be completed towards the end of the year and then forwarded to the publisher for editing, enhancing images, adding captions, indexing, printing and binding ready for publication in May/June 2015 to celebrate 125 years of the HEAS.

Heather Hurley Julia Wilde
Local Historian Project Leader

After five years of planning and two years of researching and writing the HEAS History Project team are pleased to announce that HRH the Prince of Wales has written the Foreword to the forthcoming book entitled:

Harewood End Agricultural Society
Celebrating 125 years of farming in South Herefordshire

During February the chapters written by Heather are being proof read by the team, and the captions to the numerous illustrations are being confirmed. The next meetings are at Hoarwithy on Fri 13th, Mon 23rd and Weds 25th Feb. Please contact Heather or Julia for more information.

The launch of the book is being planned for June to be held at Caradoc by kind permission of Patrick Darling. The launch will coincide with celebrating 125 years of the Harewood End Agricultural Society.

At the meeting in October all the chapters, acknowledgements, sponsors, foreword, introduction, sources, lists of presidents, chairmen, ladies chair, show venues, cups & trophies, horse trophies, key dates and ladies trophies, project team, sources, maps and images were checked by the History Project team, and have now been handed to Logaston Press the publisher of the forthcoming book.

The team have decided on a title which will be announced at the Harewood End Agricultural Society AGM next year.

School visits were organised to fruit farms and apple orchards, a presentation and display of the History Project formed part of the Wye Valley AONB annual tour and a display attracted attention at the HEAS Horse Show. A team get together was enjoyed over a pub lunch to choose an image for the cover of the book which will be enhanced by the publisher who will also index the book.

Seasonal Greetings from Heather, Julia and the History Project team

At a long meeting in August some final stages of the history project and the forthcoming book plus two displays were discussed at Hoarwithy by the history project team.

The last two chapters 5 & 6 have been written and were read by the team who offered a few suggestions and amendments.

Lists which will form an Appendix were studied. These include past presidents, chairman, ladies chair, show venues, key dates, cups & trophies. There will also be acknowledgements, sources, names of sponsors and an introduction and foreword to be written and an index to compile.

A map discovered in the archives will be enhanced and used in the book and the illustrations need to be captioned.

A suitable cover for the book is being considered together with a title to describe the contents of the history of the Society from 1890 to 2015.

A display and presentation of the history project will be on show at the Wye Valley AONB Tour on 26th Sept and it is planned to have a display at the HEAS Horse Show on 27th Sept.

Since April the history project team have taken a party of schoolchildren from Kings Caple to visit the goats at Bradley Farm, have interviewed Paul Scudamore, Keith Williams, Linda Wallis and Alastair Hunter Blair, carried out research at Hereford City Library and attended the Farm Sunday at Hopes Ash Farm where photographs were taken.

The team have held meetings to organise displays at the Judges Supper, the Country Fair and the British Legion WW1 Day at St. Weonards both on Sunday 3rd August, the Wye Valley AONB Partnership Tour on Friday 26th September and the HEAS Horse Show on Saturday 27th September. A two page spread of the HEAS History Project appeared in the Wye Valley AONB’s Picturesque Magazine and our forthcoming book was publicised at a talk held at Ross Library. The last chapter of the book is nearing completion, and names of past presidents, chairmen. ladies committee etc are being researched.

The History Project welcome members to join them on Mon 30th June 10 am at Hereford City Library to research the Ross Gazettes and Hereford Times.

Urgently Required by the HEAS History Project:

Schedules and Programmes:
Pre 1939
1950, 1951, 1952, 1962
1971 to 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982
Names of Chairmen
1923, 1924
Ladies Committee
1945, 1946, 1949
1950 1951, 1952
Ross Gazette
1917
Crops and Livestock winners
1989
Photographs and memorabilia of HEAS events
1890 – 2014

Heather Hurley, Local Historian 01989 566752
Julia Wilde, Project Leader 01989 564281

The General Secretary
Harewood End Agricultural Society
Overton Farmhouse,
Brampton Abbotts
Ross-on-Wye
Herefordshire
HR9 7JG

Harewood End Agricultural Society History Project

From attics and outhouses Society members have collected a valuable archive dating from 1890. It has been listed by an enthusiastic team who have already revealed some fascinating stories.

Update – February 2015

Update – December 2014

Latest Update – October 2014

The Book

Displays

Update – June 2014

About Harewood End

Important Information

Recent News

Contact info

  • HEAS History Project
  • Research
  • Keith Williams Trophies
  • Herefordshire Country Fair

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