The Battle of Wednesfield, pub names and signs, Wolverhampton in the Anglo Saxon period and Military Cross winner Harold Bantock Sankey are just some of the fascinating subjects which historians will delve into at the annual Local History Symposium shortly.

It takes place at the Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies' Molineux Hotel Building on Saturday 28 February, 2015, and features 8 presentations which promise to reveal previously unknown facts from Wolverhampton's diverse past.

Now in its ninth year, the symposium encourages historians to undertake original research into unexplored facets of the area's history, and then gives them a platform on which to share their findings.

It will see Ray Fellows talk about The Battle of Wednesfield, Jefny Ashcroft discuss Wolverhampton in the Anglo Saxon period, Kate Hartland-Westwood  present her research on Wolverhampton Parish apprentices from 1830 to 1844 and Jane Smith talk about 19th century accidents in Wolverhampton.

Frank Sharman will talk about The Defalcations of Jesse Varley, Chris Twiggs has researched Harold Bantock Sankey MC, Jennifer Davies will present her work looking into the origins of the Thompsons and Alan Rose will reveal more about the pub names and signs of Wolverhampton.

City Archivist Heidi McIntosh hosts the symposium and will present one of this year's speakers with a special £400 Local History Bursary, sponsored by the Express & Star and Wolverhampton Civic and Historical Society, to enable them to carry out further original research into Wolverhampton's past.

Councillor Elias Mattu, Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Leisure and Communities, said: "The Symposium has established itself as one of the highlights on the local history calendar and we're looking forward to hearing more fascinating research into some of the lesser known aspects of Wolverhampton's past."

Tickets are available now by visiting Type=links;Linkid=4781;Title=Wolverhampton Arts and Heritage;Target=_blank; and are £5 per person, or £4 for the Friends of Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies. Refreshments will be provided by the Friends, for a small charge.

  • released: Wednesday 4 February, 2015