Royston and District Local History Society
Publications
The Society publishes its own resources and makes available those published by others where the content may be of interest to those seeking to understand more of Royston’s history.
The Society's Publications
Royston and District Local History Society publishes a number of resourcess of local interest as part of its mission to promote and safeguard Royston’s history and environment for future generations.
The Society also holds the copyright of the books by the late Alfred Kingston F. R. Hist. S., a local historian who lived in Royston from the 1870s to the early part of the 20th century.
Centenary of the Royston War Memorial
Yolanda Hayes and Pamela Wright
Published to mark the centenary of Royston’s War Memorial on 26th March 1922, this limited edition book explores the stories behind the men listed from both World Wars, together with their photographs.
Written by Yolanda Hayes and Pamela Wright of the What Royston Did project, the book provides information on those men whose names were put forward for inclusion but who do not appear on the memorial. Also included are the other memorials in the town, in particular those in the Priory Memorial Gardens, as are the memorials and cemeteries where men are remembered or lie buried at home or in foreign fields.
Royston Cave - A Mystery Beneath Our Feet
DVD Produced by Film Infinity
Royston Cave is a grade I historical monument hidden almost 30 feet below the streets of Royston close to where the ancient roads Ermine Street and the Icknield Way intersect.
We may never know the whole story of the Royston Cave but this DVD will give you a glimpse into the past and give you plently of food for thought.
April 2013
Royston Cave - Postcards
Postcards of some of the images on the walls of Royston Cave
Price reduction
Royston’s Heritage Buildings
2nd edition
Peter Ranson
An updated edition of the book originally published in 2017 which describes the buildings of historical importance in Royston, Hertfordshire.
84 pages - Many illustrations
ISBN - 978-0-9957896-2-3
Royston Bill Heads
P W Smith
A fascinating collection of bill heads from Royston businesses from 1776 to 1914.
A4 - 54 pages- Illustrated
ISBN - 978-0-9511722-7-8
Royston’s Call to Arms - Volume 1
Front Line 1914-15
Yolanda Hayes
Letter and interviews from 1914-15 researched and compiled from Royston’s local newspaper, The Crow.
92 pages plus introduction - Illustrated
ISBN - 978-0-9511722-7-8
Royston’s Call to Arms - Volume 2
France and Flanders 1916-1919
Yolanda Hayes
Letters, interviews and stories from a market town in Hertfordshire.
97 pages - Illustrated
ISBN - 978-0-9957896-0-9
The Royston Gas Incident 1981
Sylvia P Beamon MA (Cantab)
The day Royston was nearly blown off the map.
A4 - 96 pages - Illustrated
ISBN - 978-0-9511722-8-5
The Royston War Memorial
Douglas Plowman
A description of the military service of each soldier appearing on the Royston War Memorial.
1st edition 2006 - 2nd edition 2014
71 pages
Wartime Reminiscences
Kathleen Dodkin MBE
Kathleen Dodkin was a long-term resident of Royston and these are her reminiscences of her time in Royston during WWII.
33 pages
First published in 2005 - Second edition 2016.
Royston Priory
Foundation to Dissolution
David Wallington
The story of Royston Priory from foundation to dissolution and to the present parish church of St John the Baptist.
ISBN: 978-0-9957896-4-7
108 pages with illustrations.
Recipes from a Cook’s Notebook 1778
Edited by S and J Ralls
This book reproduces over a hundred recipes, handwritten by a cook(s) around 1778.
90 pages
Royston Inns and Public Houses
K Curtis, J Halstead, A Jones, M Michie, C Rayner, A Smith, H Weetman
Revised by S and J Ralls
Approx. 55 public houses are known to have existed in the town, and this book identifies and describes as many of them as possible. Traditional inns have been included, as well as public houses and beer houses, but licenced hotels and restaurants have been excluded. For each house, the licensees have been listed where known.
1st edition - 1990
32 pages - 17 Illustrations
ISBN : 0-9511722-1-2
The Blue Plaques of Royston
F John Smith
An account the historical background tom the Blue Plaques in the town.
34 pages
Royston 1900 - A Year in the Life of a Small Market Town
S and J Ralls
This book takes a look at a year in the life of the people in Royston in 1900. The first section covers events, both national and world-wide and examines their effect on a small market town. The second section deals with specific activities in the town, on a month by month basis, in the year 1900, making extensive use of local newspaper archives.
208 pages - Illustrated with photos, maps and extracts from the Royston Crow
1st edition - 1999
The Vestry Book, Royston, Cambs. 1659-1749
An Analysis by Dr. Ivor A Williams
This book is an analysis of the Vestry Book, a record of the meetings of the officers of the parish in the Church Vestry. It contains full details of all the residents of the town mentioned in these records.
92 pages
Royston Cave
Joseph Beldham
Preface by Peter E Ketteringham
A reprint of of the book published in 1906. Includes a brief memoir of the late Joseph Beldam, FSA.
50+ pages with illustrations.
Hertfordshire Session Books V-X 1619-1843
Transcribed by S and J Ralls
Background information by Jean Cosslett
Extracts relating to Royston from 1619 to 1843.
82 Pages
Other Publications
Publications available from sources other than the Society’s publishing subcommittee. Many of these can be found at the Cave Art and Bookshop, 8 Melbourn Street, Royston (adjacent to the Cave) as well as the Royston and District Museum and Art Gallery and by mail from the Society.
20th Century Royston Volume I The First 50 Years
Fred Sillence
The history of Royston from 1901 to 1951 told by the former editor of the Royston Crow.
1993
121 pages - 84 illustrations
ISBN Ref : 0 904378 42 X
Old Royston Volume II
Peter Ketteringham
Photographs and illustrations mainly selected from Royston Museum's unique collection by Peter Ketteringham who has lived in Royston all his life and is President of the Royston and District Local History Society.
1995
70 pages - 133 illustrations
ISBN Ref : 0 904378 46 2
The Medieval Structure within Royston Cave
P. T. Houldcroft, F.R.Eng
A description of the Royston cave during medieval times showing the most likely form of a wooden structure that would have been used by the Knights Templar movement.
1st edition - 1995, reprinted 1997, reprinted with revisions and additions 1999
20 pages - Illustrated with colour photographs and line drawings
ISBN Ref : 0 9511722 4 71999
A Medieval Mystery at the Crossroads
P T Houldcroft F.R.Eng
A new theory on the origin and original purpose of the Royston Cave by the author who was managing this Grade I national monument for 17 years.
144 pages
Fragments of Two Centuries
Alfred Kingston F.R.Hist.S.
The book describes rural life in England from approximately 1750 to 1890, using church records, local newspaper archives and personal reminiscences from the Royston area. It details the changes in all aspects of rural life in that period : social, agricultural, transportation, etc. Though local in its overall theme, the book will be of a wider interest to all those interested in the social history of the period.
Facsimile copy of 1893 edition (reprinted 1990).
194 pages - 19 illustrations
The Heath and its Wildflowers
Alfred Kingston F.R.Hist.S.
The author brings together a brief record of the principal points of interest which the Heath presents to the visitor. It begins with a short history of the Heath and is followed notes on its typical wild flowers. These are written for the general reader and so the book follows the natural arrangement of the flowers on the Heath, rather than the order which is found in botanical books.1961 (reprint of original 1904 publication).
47 pages - 1 illustration
Other Resources Available
The Society’s News Sheets
The Conduit
The Conduit is a yearly publication of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society.
It is a work of reference for members of the Society and provides a roundup of events and activities which may be of interest for members and non members alike.
It is published on a yearly basis with 2015-16 being the first "Interactive' version.