Battle of Hatfield Group holds a public open day for history project

The Battle of Hatfield Investigation Society (BOHIS) was recently awarded £15,600 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) support to explore and share the history of Cuckney Norton and Holbeck.

It is hoped the work will help may finally discover whether 200 buried skeletons at St Mary’s Church, Cuckney, will prove the Anglo Saxon battle of Hatfield took place near Warsop in 632 AD.

BIOHIS is inviting residents to take part in a wider a community history project and residents have been invited to an open day to help discover more about key moments in the area’s past.

BIOHIS is holding its first “Kick Off” Community Day at Cuckney Village Hall on Saturday September 26 between 10am and 4pm.

Chairman Paul Jameson said: “We are delighted to have received the backing of the Heritage Lottery Fund and are confident the enterprise will bind local people together in a common purpose.

“The open day is free to all - come for the whole day or just drop in and attend what interests you.”

More than 150 local people have signed up to get involved, including about 70 children from two local schools.

Plans for the project include archaeology workshops in schools and digitising a collection of images of Cuckney and the Welbeck Estate dating from between 1880 and 1940.

There will also be training for volunteers in non-invasive archaeological techniques including ground penetrating radar and magnetometry.

The volunteers will then use these new skills to investigate the grounds of St Mary’s Church.