The Yateley Study Group

FORMATION

After completion of the 20 lectures of the adult education class The Study of Yateley the students and many of the lecturers wanted to continue into the summer term of 1980. They had to organise the meetings themselves. The continuation of the group was precisely what the Yateley Centre Warden, Luath Grant Ferguson, had hoped.

Gordon Peake, the archaeology lecturer, suggested a tour of Monteagle House, and offered to invite a timberframe house expert, Richard Warmington, to lead the tour. Gordon's idea was that Richard Warmington would try to date the house from its architectural details alone, then Peter Tipton would reveal the documentary history of Monteagle House, to see how close Richard had come to the date. Needless to say Richard was spot on! However it was the ease of Peter Tipton's research in the Manorial Court Books which fired the group's interest. He had been able to find ownership documents for Monteagle House back to 1617. It would be possible to research every old house in Yateley on the same basis.

And so was born, on the same evening, The Yateley Study Group. Researchers volunteered for an Old Houses Team. Susan Dawson, the Ecology Lecturer, suggested hedge dating and field patterns, moth trapping, pond and garden surveys. Jean McIlwaine, the Church Archivist, suggested forming a Genealogy Team to research old Yateley families. A Steering Committee was formed.

Sydney Loader and Jean McIlwaine had long dreamed of a Yateley Historical Society. The Tiptons wanted to form a planning action group to give historical support to the efforts of Yateley Residents Association. Sue and Edward Dawson dreamed of a Civic Trust for Yateley. Luath Grant Ferguson had been a leading light in the Alton Society before taking the Warden's job in Yateley. He was ready to guide the new group towards becoming a Civic Trust.

On a single evening everyone's dreams looked like coming true.

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