History Groups

Alan Dures
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
The course will commence in September 2025
Time: 2.00 – 3.30pm
Venue: Risbygate Sports Club, off Westley Road IP33 3RR (parking available)
What do we do?
Details of this revised interest group will be updated in the coming weeks.

Maggie Pearson
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
Monthly on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 2 – 4pm at the Thomas Clarkson Centre, Fursland room.
What do we do?
We are looking at the era of English History 1714 – 1914 covering the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian periods. Exploring subjects such as Arts and Culture, Notable People, Government, Law and Order and Science and Industry.
Topics are chosen by those group members who wish to present a topic, with group discussion encouraged.
New members welcome.
Dates for the next term’s meetings
Wednesdays – 23rd April, 28th May, 25th June and 23rd July.

Lynda Kresin
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
We meet about once every 6 weeks, at the home of one of our members, to discuss informally a set section of a chosen book.
What do we do?
We cover all periods of history, someone suggests a book and we go from there.
We have studied ‘The Age of Enlightenment’ 1730-1810.
We are currently reading ‘Crimea’ by Orlando Figes.
Our group does not meet at a set time/day – please check with the Group Leader.
We now have a waiting list for new members – please contact Lynda, the group leader for further information.

Barbara Smith
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
Monthly on the last Wednesday of each month 11.30 at The Fox Inn, 1 Eastgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1XX
We usually stay for lunch as no charge is made by The Fox.
New members are always welcome whether experienced or not.
What do we do?
Did an ancestor serve time for embezzlement? Was another transported to Australia for stealing a piano? Were there bigamists in the family? I love the baddies : there is always so much more written about them than the good, honest ag. labs. who were born, married and died leaving no other record of their lives.
We are a mixed group, from those with more than 30 years experience to those who have yet to begin. If you have ever wondered about your ancestors this is the group for you. We would love to help you get started.
We also like to try to break through those ‘Brick Walls’; we have sometimes had great success with this.
We are open to suggestions for topics for discussion.
History of the English Language

Liz Barham
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
Dates: 2nd Thursday of the month:
Time: 10.30am to 12 noon.
Venue: in a member’s house in central Bury
What do we do?
We will be looking at how the English language has developed over the centuries starting with the Celtic and Roman influences, and progressing through Anglo Saxon and Middle English to the Early Modern Age.
It is a fascinating story of change: no previous knowledge is needed, and as we will be a maximum of 6 there will be plenty of discussion – this is not intended as a lecture series!
Members will be encouraged to contribute their own information and examples. You will need to purchase a copy of Charlie Haylock’s book ‘In a Manner of Speaking – The Story of the English Language’ as we will use this as a starting point each month – it is chronologically written.
We will request a contribution to refreshments but no charge for the venue as a member has kindly offered her home to meet in.
This group has now started a waiting list, if you are interested in this group please email the group co-ordinator to be added to the waiting list. If there is sufficient interest and a volunteer organiser comes forward it may be possible to start a second group.

Sheila Rush
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
We normally meet on the first Thursday of each month (except January) in the morning, usually at 10.30am – but occasionally this has to be changed due to availability of venues or clashes of events.
What do we do?
Members make their own way to the selected Church or village for 10.30am when a talk and tour with a local guide is organised.
Coffee is usually arranged and a venue for lunch is suggested for those who wish to stay on.
We have had a recent influx of new members so we have decided that we cannot take any more members for the present. Our membership is more than enough for some of the smaller churches that we visit if everyone turned up, so a second group, Suffolk Churches and Villages – Group 2, has been started.
Suffolk Churches and Villages – Group 2

Pat Field
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
Third Thursday of the month (except December) – Morning
What do we do?
Members make their own way to the selected Church or village for 11.00am when a talk and tour with a local guide is generally organised.
Coffee is usually arranged and a venue for lunch is suggested for those who wish to stay on.

Jayne Gilbert
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
First Monday of the month starting at 10.30 in Horringer.
What do we do?
This self-help group aims to give support to its members by sharing memories thus prompting recollections of our own past. Each month everyone reads something they have written and the Group discusses each piece and makes (helpful) comments. Some hope to publish, others just want to compile their life story for family and friends.
There is the occasional lunch or visit.
For your enjoyment, click below to see two small articles written by a member of this group. If you can imagine a Midwest voice telling the tale in that distinctive accent, well…read it and see for yourself!
Click here for 1st Article and here for 2nd Article
And here is a poem written by Brenda Fraser-Newstead who has re-located and which she dedicated to Sue Rawlings, a member of the group, who passed away in Sept. 2016
This group has now started a waiting list. However, if you are interested in this group please also email secretary@u3aburystedmunds.co.uk whereby other interested members are being noted with the aim to start a second group.