Stocksbridge & District History Society
The Origins of the Society
We are fortunate that a gentleman by the name of Joseph Kenworthy resided in our locality and was keenly interested in most aspects of Local History.
He was the author of a number of books which features detailed information about people, local industries and businesses.
These publications, have been invaluable for almost a century, to all those who have enquired into the origins and development of this area.
It was in 1979 that Frank Kenworthy, son of Joseph, formed a Society known aptly as The Kenworthy Fellowship.
Members meetings were held on a monthly basis when guest speakers were invited to give talks on historical topics, whether they were of local or national interest.
Past Developments
The membership numbered approximately 45 persons and the meetings were held in the Congregational Church Hall.
The Fellowship proved to be very popular as it lasted until 1989 by which time the committee were ready to stand down, and see a fresh impetus by others.
The Fellowship was reborn and re-formed as the “Stocksbridge & District History Society” with a new committee, holding it’s meetings in the Stocksbridge Library.
A revival became self-evident in terms of membership numbers, healthy funds and a full programme of events.
Over the past two decades, the Society has continued to develop, in the following areas.
- In conjunction with the Stocksbridge Library, a public archive has been established.
- A number of local history publications have been produced and published by the Society, including two volumes of photographs.
- An extensive collection of photographs, handbooks, articles and other material have been collected and archived and a concise history of the District has been compiled.
Present Day
Society members can enjoy monthly presentations by guest speakers and participate in an annual visit to a place of historical interest.
We presently number around 65 members with a good attendance at each of the meetings held in the Christ Church Hall on Manchester Road.
As a Society we offer a number of historical and family history services.
Get Involved
Should you be interested in preserving the history of your local area then come along to one of our meetings.
Should you have a comment about our site, positive or otherwise, or any suggestions on how we might develop it, then please Contact Us.
We are always interested to hear your story about your experiences of Stocksbridge and the surrounding district.
Additionally if you have photographs or other material which you feel may be of interest to us as a History Society then again please Contact Us, we would love to hear from you.
