From September to April each year the Society arranges a series of talks held in Fowey, Bodinnick and Polruan. These are open to all and Members have free entry, (£10 for non members).
To join, or to renew your Membership for 2025/26, please contact Kath Pearce on 07977 572268 or email FHHSociety@gmail.com
The programme of talks for 2025/26 is as follows;
All on Saturdays at 2pm.
13 Sept. "The Influential Country Houses of Cornwall". Speaker: Dr Patrick Newberry. Venue: Whitecross Village Hall.
11 Oct. "The St. Aubyn Family's Place in Cornish History". Speaker: Nicholas St. Aubyn. Venue: Squires Field Hall.
1 Nov. "Discovering the Ashleigh Mineral Collection". Speaker: Tom Cotterell. Venue: Fowey Town Hall.
13 Dec. "From Lostwithiel to the Sea. A Voyage Rediscovering my Old Patch". Speaker: Captain Mike Sutherland. Venue: Fowey Town Hall.
17 Jan. "Stories Behind the Cornwall Memory Game". Speaker: Merryn Threadgold. Venue: ** Fowey Town Hall **
21 Feb. "Old Money versus new? 17th century bitter disputes between The Barretts of Penquite, Golant and The Rashleighs of Menabilly, Fowey.". Speaker: Sue Reardon. Venue: Fowey Town Hall.
14 Mar. "Cornwall v Rome". Speaker: Sean Taylor. Venue: Fowey Town Hall.
18 Apr. "Photographs from your Family Albums". Speaker: Alex Lewis. Venue: Fowey Town Hall
Annual General Meeting
The Society AGM will be held at 1pm on April 18 in the Fowey Town Hall, immediately prior to the season's last talk at 2pm.
Stories behind the Cornish Memory Game - A Talk by Merryn Threadgould
Date/Time: 17 January 2026 at 2pm
Venue: Fowey Town Hall
Cost: Free for Members. Non Members will be charged £10 on the door.
Contact: All enquiries to Hon. Sec. Kath Pearce on 07977 572268 or email FHHSociety@gmail.com
Merryn Threadgould returns to talk us through another hand picked selection of Cornish nuggets mined from the rich history of the Duchy. From the most interesting mine to lockdown graffiti and a poor mans soup this talk never fails to engage the senses, including laughter.
Old Money versus new? 17th century bitter disputes between The Barretts and The Rashleighs.
Date/Time: 21 February 2026 at 2pm
Venue: Fowey Town Hall
Cost: Free for Members. Non Members will be charged £10 on the door.
Contact: All enquiries to Hon. Sec. Kath Pearce on 07977 572268 or email FHHSociety@gmail.com
A talk by Sue Reardon: "Old Money versus new? 17th century bitter disputes between The Barretts of Penquite, Golant and The Rashleighs of Menabilly, Fowey".
In the early years of the 17th century I believe what really was behind these extraordinary events was the resentment of an old established family, the Barretts against the incomer upstarts the Rashleighs.
The shenanigans and skulduggery in the disputes between the Barretts of Penquite in Golant and the Rashleighs of Menabilly were even by modern standards quite sensational. The excuse for the bitter legal battles between these two families was over wood and whether the Barretts had the right to access it on land they didn’t own - well that was how it started!
Cornwall vs Rome. A talk by Sean Taylor from the Cornwall Archaeological Unit
Date/Time: March 14, 2026 at 2pm
Venue: Fowey Town Hall
Cost: Free for Members. Non Members will be charged £10 on the door.
Contact: All enquiries to Hon. Sec. Kath Pearce on 07977 572268 or email FHHSociety@gmail.com
The year is 50 AD. Southern Britain is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely... One small tribe of indomitable Celts still holds out against the invaders….
A talk by Sean Taylor from the Cornwall Archaeological Unit on his team’s surprise discovery of a very early Roman Fort in Cornwall that he believes housed 10,000 people – a full legion and their followers. His discovery appeared on Digging for Britain two years ago.
Photographs from your Family Albums, curated and presented by Alex Lewis
Date/Time: 18 April 2026 at 2pm
Venue: Fowey Town Hall, following the AGM at 1pm
Cost: Free for Members. Non Members will be charged £10 on the door.
Contact: All enquiries to Hon. Sec. Kath Pearce on 07977 572268 or email FHHSociety@gmail.com
Commemorating 200 years since the first permanent photograph was made, Alex Lewis will be offering a window into times past by showing a selection of old photographs from private family collections. We know the stories behind some, others not, but all are utterly fascinating.
