Events
For detailed information on the programmes organised by the Society select by clicking on one of the items on the left.
Non members are welcome to attend our in-person talks and a limited number of places for the online and hybrid talks are available for non members to book using Eventbrite.
The Calendar can be displayed in either Month or List format.
For specific information on a particular event shown on the calendar opposite please hover or click on the selected event.
Colour Key:
DAS Outing
Library Open
DAS Other Event
Non DAS Event
DAS talk (online)
DAS talk (in person only)
DAS talk (hybrid)
- 07November 7, 2025
The Orton & Spooner story - fairground builders & owners of Burton upon Trent
St. Mary's Church HallDarley Lane, Derby, DE1 3AXSpeaker: Elaine Prichard
Orton & Spooner was a company based in Burton-upon-Trent that made fairground rides and equipment for fairgrounds. The business began in the 1890s and closed in 1977. Elaine tells their story.
Organised by the Local History Section
- 12November 12, 2025
DAS library open
Strutts CentreDerby Road, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 1UULibrary open upstairs on the 1st floor.
- 14November 14, 2025
Frumenty, Monster Cakes and the Christmas Pudding King - A Derbyshire Festive Miscellany
St. Mary's Church HallDarley Lane, Derby, DE1 3AXSpeaker: Mark Dawson
If you buy a Christmas pudding in any UK supermarket there is a very high chance it has been manufactured on an industrial estate in Heanor. Food historian Mark Dawson will relate how the Derbyshire firm of Matthew Walker came to dominate this market and tell us about some less well-known local seasonal traditions.
Organised by the Industrial Archaeology Section
- 29November 29, 2025
DAS library open
Strutts CentreDerby Road, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 1UULibrary open upstairs on the 1st floor.
- 29November 29, 2025
Mrs Ella Armitage and Early Norman Castles in England revisited
Strutts CentreDerby Road, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 1UUSpeaker: David Mercer
Mrs Armitage (1841-1931) was a pioneer archaeologist and historian in the field of castle studies. Her book The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (1912) is credited with establishing the principle that the motte-and-bailey castle was an early Norman innovation; rejecting the idea that mottes were of Anglo-Saxon date. With over a century of research into castles following this seminal thesis it is time to reassess Armitage’s legacy and provide context for the earliest castles in England.
David Mercer read archaeology at St John’s College, Cambridge. His doctoral thesis looked at the historical development of ideas in castle studies. Since then, he has been an active member of the Castle Studies Group.