At the February meeting of the society, a large gathering of members and visitors enjoyed an illustrated history of Redditch given by well known local historian Ralph Richardson.
An overnight stop for the Romans on their way up Watling Street and one of the last bits of the Midlands to be settled by the Anglo-Saxons, Redditch remained a sparsely populated wooded swamp until the Cistercians founded Bordesley Abbey in the 12th century.
The notable parishes were those of Tardebigge and Ipsley. Following the dissolution of the Abbey by Henry VIII, Redditch was established on the hill but it was only with the coming of the needle industry in the eighteenth century that it really developed.
A number of factors contributed to this specialisation, including the power from the River Arrow with its special butter pebbles that were ideal for making the scouring paste to polish the needles.
It was also pointed out that an agricultural recession, along with land enclosure, meant there was a large pool of unemployed labour available.
The excellent attendance reflected the presenter's reputation as a speaker on the history of this town and the audiance were certainly not disappointed.
The next meeting is on Thursday, March 10, at 7.30pm in Feckenham Village Hall, when the topic will be the Emergence of the Black Country by Trevor Genge. Visitors are always very welcome.
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