The Group (a Section of the Community Association) was founded in 2006 with the aim of gathering, recording in a searchable archive and finding ways of sharing, the rich history of Brancepeth – its ancient and modern parishes, church, castle and people.
Over the years, the Group has produced a number of publications relating to the Parish, and these are available to purchase. Current publications are shown below. To enquire about purchasing items, or joining the Group, please e-mail the Secretary at 17vivienne@gmail.com
Members also stage displays, Exhibitions and Events based on topical subjects, take stands at Local History events and some are available to give illustrated talks to community groups. The Group also arranges talks by outside speakers which are held in the Village Hall.
In 2019, the Trustees of the Castle offered the Group the use of one of the large rooms in the Castle as a permanent home for our records. With the help of grants and donations, the equipped Archive Room (with the status of a Small Charity Trust, managed by 5 Trustees drawn from the Brancepeth Archive and History Group Committee and linked with that Group)) opened to the public in 2021. The room contains documents, photographs, maps, artefacts and other records relating to the history of the ancient parish of Brancepeth and the local area – all catalogued on computer. There is also access to Ancestry and Find my Past. The room is open from 9a.m. to 1.00p.m. on the first Saturday of each month and appointments can be made to visit at other times. The e-mail address is: brancepeth.archive@outlook.com
We also try to respond to enquiries about the history of Brancepeth and are very grateful to receive information from anyone who lives, or whose family have or have had a link with the Parish. If you are researching your family ancestry or have any enquiries about the history of the village, please contact Peter Storey at-: peppermires@btinternet.com
The current Committee:
Chairman: Geoff Harrison geoffharrison1@btinternet.com
Secretary: Vivienne Lowe 17vivienne@gmail.com
Treasurer: Dave Armstrong dave.armstrong11@btopenworld.com
Committee: Jim Merrington, Peter Storey, Ian Stoker and Peter Burdess
To purchase items please email the Secretary: 17vivienne@gmail.com
Postage free within the parish. For postage outside the parish please add £2 for booklets and £1 for all other items.
Recipe Leaflets
Two leaflets of recipes which may have been produced by the cook at
Brancepeth Castle in times gone by, together with historical notes:-1. Picnics from the past – Price: £2
2. Afternoon teas from the past – Price £2
Walk Leaflet
A one mile walk round Brancepeth Village, presented in a waterproof envelope and containing directions and notes on the history of the buildings encountered on the way
Price: £2
They died for their Country
A 77 page booklet paying tribute to the men of
Brancepeth Parish who gave their lives for their
country in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Price £5
Brancepeth’s Great War
A 100 page booklet telling the story of Brancepeth parish and its people during World War One and its Castle as a wartime hospital. Price £5.
Buy a copy of both books for £7.50.
A brief history of Brancepeth Castle and its owners. 14 pages for £3.00
A brief history of St. Brandon’s Church, Brancepeth and its Rectors. 24 pages for £3.
A Yeoman’s Tale
The Story of Brancepeth Village and its people. Told through the eyes of fictitious villagers’.
Price £2.50
Miscellaneous Leaflets Price £2 each
1. “Alfred and Aunt Elizabeth”, the story of Alfred Lord Tennyson and his aunt, Elizabeth Russell of Brancepeth Castle.
2. “ Leonard George Crawley”, a biography of this international golfer and cricketer who was the son of the agent to the Brancepeth Estates.
Notelets
A pack of five assorted historical pictures of Brancepeth Castle with envelopes. Price: £2.50 per pack.
Blank Greetings cards for your own message with envelopes
St Brandon’s Church by Jon Hall Price £1.00 each or 5 for £4.00
The Group is a section under the constitution of Brancepeth Community Association. Membership is open to any member of the Brancepeth Community Association. Anyone wishing to join who is not already a Community Association member should contact the Secretary using the e-mail address below:
Want to catch a bus from the Village? click here for live bus arrivals and departures to and from the village – type Brancepeth Village into the search bar.