THE FORMATION OF BARTON AND DISTRICT HISTORY GROUP
When the CHAMP (Community Heritage and Media Project) Trust took over the management of Baysgarth House Museum in 2004 it quickly became clear that in order to create a sustainable future for the museum a number of problems would have to be resolved and one of those was the question of what to do with the museum archives.
Since they would require management it seemed logical for that role to be undertaken by a new local history group. A small group, of like-minded local historians, was set up with the intention of developing a local history society with a constitution, rule book and a structure in place sufficient to be able to open membership to the public.
The group decided upon the name "Barton and District History Group". The object of the group being to manage the archives at the museum on behalf of CHAMP in order to promote interest in local history through interaction with the local community and to evolve into a full history society with lectures, events, publications etc.
An inaugural meeting of B.D.H.G. was held in October, 2007 and subsequently, during 2008, in order to canvass for members an advertisement was placed in The Bartonian with articles submitted to the Grimsby Telegraph and the Scunthorpe Telegraph also announcements were sent to the W.E.A. and Barton Civic Society. An annual membership fee of £5.00 was agreed by the group and a short programme of two public meetings was arranged. Copies of the CHAMP procedure for access to the archives were made and it was agreed that an opening of two Saturdays each month would be a starting point.
Unfortunately, by 2014, it became apparent that the constitution drawn up in 2004 was not being adhered to. The opening of the archives to the public had not been the success hoped for and archival material had ceased to be handed in by members of the public.
The public meetings ,however, remained a success with additional talks, plus an annual site visit of local interest, being added to the programme of speakers. A new venture of publishing a book, "Heritage", containing articles of local historical interest, submitted by members of the group, also proved a success. In view of the situation a Special General Meeting was called in 2015 where, after much discussion by the members, it was decided that the necessary amendments be made to the objectives set out in the constitution of 2004. This has now been reproduced and is our current constitution.