Church Monuments Society

The 2024 Study Day and Annual General  Meeting will be held on Saturday 7 September at St George the Martyr, Borough High Street, London SE1 1JA. We are meeting in the crypt, which has excellent facilities. All are welcome to the Study Day; the AGM is for members only.

The church is roughly halfway between London Bridge and the Elephant and Castle, with numerous transport links by train, tube and bus. There are many ‘eateries’ in the area from traditional pubs to world cuisines.

A church has stood on the site from the early 12^th century and there were several rebuilding programmes up to 1736 when the Georgian church was opened. The church suffered significant damage during World War II and underwent restoration from 1945-1952.

The church is said to be haunted by Edward Bonner, Bishop of London who was imprisoned, and died, in the nearby Marshalsea Prison as an opponent of the Act of Supremacy. Another guest of the Marshalsea was Charles Dickens’ father, imprisoned there for debt. Dickens would later immortalise the prison in Little Dorrit. More about the church, and a list of the monuments, in the Survey of London, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol25/pp26-38 . The church is also near to Southwark Cathedral and the Crossbones graveyard, burial place of the poor and outcast https://crossbones.org.uk/ .

Timetable

11am Arrival

11.10am President’s welcome

11.15 -11.45 Dr Ellie Pridgeon, FSA: Connecting  Monuments: The Hidden Wall Paintings of Bristol

11.45-12 Q&A

12-1 AGM

1-2 Lunch break

(during which we are welcome to visit the church)

2.10-2.40 Dr Miriam Gill, FSA: Murals, Models and Memorialisation: the context and connections of the memorial of Sir John de Botetourt, Belchamp Walter, Essex 

2.40-3 Dr Jean Wilson, FSA: “The last trumpet”: Funeral Monuments and Resurrection

3-3.30 Q&A / Closing remarks

The AGM will be held at 12 noon. A copy of the Minutes of the 2023 Annual General Meeting is available HERE on the Society’s web site and a printed copy may be requested from the Hon Secretary, Hilary Wheeler (address on back cover). The accounts and other reports can be downloaded below or obtained from the Secretary – please include your email address if possible. In order to cut down on waste and expense, printed copies will only be available on request, from the Hon Secretary.

Agenda

1. Apologies for absence
2. Approval of the Minutes of the 2023 Annual General Meeting
3. Matters Arising
4. Presidential Address
5. Hon Treasurer’s Report
6. Thanks to the Independent Examiner and the Appointment of the Independent Examiner
7. Hon Membership Secretary’s Report
8. Hon Publicity Officer’s Report
9. Hon Archivist’s Report
10. Hon Event’s Co-ordinator’s Report
11. Reports on the Society’s Publications
12. Hon Conservations Cases Recorder’s Report
13. Election of the President
14. Election of Officers and two Ordinary Members of Council
15. Any Other Business
16. Announcement of the date and venue of the 2025 Annual General Meeting

Item 14: Election of Two Ordinary Members of Council

Nominations are invited for two Ordinary Members of Council, whose subscriptions are not in arrears, to be elected for a three-year term. Nominations should be made in writing, proposed and seconded by two members of the Society, whose membership is also current, they should confirm the willingness of the nominees to stand. Nominations should reach the Hon Secretary, from whom nomination forms may be obtained, no later than Monday, 5^th August 2024.

Council members attend three Council meetings per year in March, July and November and the AGM in September. Meetings are held on Saturdays, you will receive reports and up-dates on on-going matters, in addition to planning future activities. Business is conducted in accordance with the Society’s Constitution and in-line with the Charity Commission guidelines. Please contact the Secretary if you have questions or would like further information.

We are also looking for some new officers. Both the Hon. Secretary and the Membership Secretary are standing down next year. We also need a co-ordinator for in-person events: the Events Secretary has been managing our growing online programme as well as the in-person programme, and it’s really too much for one individual. These offices are all crucial to the running of the Society and a great way of getting involved. Speak to one if us at the AGM, or contact us via the Contacts Form.

Finally – remember this is your meeting, your opportunity to meet Council members, fellow members of the Society and ask questions, so note the date in your new diary!