The Clacton and District Local History Society opens its next monthly meeting to the public on 30 July 2026 with a talk on everyday life during the Iron Age and Roman periods. Guest speaker Beth Chappell will present ‘Everyday Life in Iron Age and Roman Clacton and Jaywick’ at Pier Avenue Baptist Church. The society, which was formed in 1985 to research and promote local heritage, charges non-members £2 while members attend free, as stated on the society’s website.
The 7:30pm gathering follows the society’s long-standing pattern of meeting on the last Thursday of each month at the Pier Avenue venue. Jaywick holds particular significance in early archaeology after the discovery of the Clactonian Industry in 1934, a Lower Paleolithic stone tool culture dating back roughly 400,000 years to hunter-gatherer activity along ancient riverbanks.
The society has cultivated a substantial community following, with its Facebook page now exceeding 23,000 members. Future talks include Geoff Lunn on Roman East Anglia mapping in August and Adam Wightman from Colchester Archaeological Trust in September.
Jaywick’s written history begins in 1438, when it was recorded as ‘Clakyngeywyk’ in the Ministers Accounts, meaning ‘the dairy farm of the people of Clacca’. A separate Jaywick Local History Society also operates from Golf Green Hall, concentrating specifically on Jaywick Sands.
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