Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association January News Update
The Carol Service, which was postponed due to bad weather will take place on Sunday, 2nd February, which is Candlemas. The service will be held at St Teilo’s Church, Llantilio Pertholey at 2.00 pm. The post code for your Sat Nav is NP7 6NY. All are welcome.
The new website was launched in December. You will find everything you need to know there including news, events, access to the journals, ways to renew your membership and links to research tools. You will find it at www.maa.wales . Passwords for the members area has been sent to those who have paid their membership fee for 2025.
We are grateful to the Marc Fitch Fund for a grant to support the digitisation of The Monmouthshire Antiquary, and for upgrading the website to support the online publication of this.
Recently a quantity of back issues of the journal The Monmouthshire Antiquary has become available. If any member would like to complete their set please contact the secretary on secretary@maa.wales They are free to members, but a contribution to cover postage will be required.
Membership renewals
Thank you to everybody who has renewed their membership for 2025. Over half managed to pay the new rates, and many of those who paid at the old rates have corrected this. Reminders will be sent out again at the start of February. Anybody who has not responded to reminders by 1st June will be removed from the membership list, as set out in the privacy agreement.
Thank you to those of you who have agreed to Gift Aid a portion of your membership fee. This allows us to claim 20% of your donation which enables us to continue to support individuals and groups with small grants to assist in their research into the history and archaeology of the County.
If you have not made your renewal you can go to the website and follow the links to the “Join Us” Page. There you will be able to pay your fee and can sign up to Gift Aid at the same time. Please do not use this method to top up if you underpaid, as we do not yet have the facility for this.
Gwent Archives are looking for volunteers for the #Crowd Cymru project. Archives Wales are looking to relaunch the project, and are planning to include some new elements. Some of you may recall the project officer, Jen Evans, came to speak at our AGM in Caerwent in 2023. If you are interesting in getting involved in this pan Wales project, please contact Jen directly. jennifer.evans@gwentarchives.gov.uk
Upcoming events – look out for notices of new events on the website.
Coming soon, a talk about Newport Castle by Will Davies, CADW
In May, A talk and possibly a walk in Pontypool with Arthur Edwards.
And finally …………. The Photographic Competition
You may recall that in the last edition of the newsletter there was mention of a photographic competition.
Photos of iconic landmarks in Monmouthshire. These can be images captured especially for the competition, or images that you have gathered in the past. They must be of identifiable landmarks in the old County of Monmouthshire, can be colour or black and white, and must be owned by the person submitting the image. The image can include people, but they must be part of the “scene” rather than the main focus of the picture.
Entries can be submitted electronically to the secretary using the email secretary@maa.wales, or by post (see address below). Postal entries will be scanned and returned to the owner. Maximum of 5 images per entrant. All entries should be accompanied by a statement confirming that the person submitting is the rightful owner of the images (or has the owners permission to use the images), and that they are happy for winning entries to be displayed on the MAA website, and in MAA publications.
Entries should be submitted by 28th February 2025. Prizes will be presented at the AGM in June. Winners will be notified beforehand.