Our 2024 annual general meeting (AGM), held in Matlock’s Imperial Rooms on 29 June, marked another successful year, which we briefly review in this blog post.
Held in the afternoon, the morning saw our sister organisation – the Derbyshire Record Society – hold its AGM – after which members of both organisations were able to enjoy a light buffet lunch.
Our secretary, chairman and treasurer all reported that the Trust, which is a registered charity, had discharged its duties in a satisfactory manager during the year. Our treasurer reported that finances were satisfactory and membership remained generally stable. Our webmaster and publicity officer gave us a short run down on our website and Facebook presence, producing some charts looking at just how many people were accessing our website. He also spoke about production of our members’ newsletter.
Our county editor, Philip Riden, reviewed the year, which has centred around publication of our VCH spin-off book on Wingerworth and continued research towards other such publications. It was hoped that the next publication would on Whittington, a parish near Chesterfield. Philip noted that it was likely that our Wednesday evening research group would move to a daytime meeting, once it reconvened in the autumn.
After our short AGM we held the draw for our monthly prize and then heard an interesting presentation by Dr Richard Gaunt on the ‘Wilmots and their World: Rediscovering Emma and Edward Wilmot’. Emma was an accomplished but largely forgotten artist. She was married to Edward Woollett Wilmot in 1842. He was a Land Agent to the 4th Duke of Newcastle of Clumber House in Nottinghamshire.