insideKENT Magazine Issue 35 - February 2015 | Page 16
NEWS
WHO WERE THE CHATHAM
KENT RESIDENT SCOOPS OVER
DOCKYARD WORKERS OF THE
£3,000 IN PRIZES WITH IK'S GREAT
PAST? THE HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHRISTMAS GIFT GIVEAWAY
CHATHAM IS LOOKING FOR LOCAL
Huge congratulations to Liz
HISTORY DETECTIVES!
Carter, winner of insideKENT's
glittering Great Christmas Gift
Giveaway 2014.
Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and the Medway African Caribbean
Association (MACA) are working together to uncover Chatham Dockyard’s
diverse heritage.
In true Santa fashion,
insideKENT's Alex Perseval
spread the Christmas cheer
and delivered Liz's impressive
haul on Christmas Eve, just in
time for the big day! Scooping
over £3,000 in prizes, it's fair
to say she was a happy victor
indeed.
Anticipating that dockyard workers from the 18th and 19th centuries had
widespread origins, they are carefully examining pay book records, each
of which contains hundreds of names. Work has already begun, family
history is being researched, and the team is urgently in need of more
volunteers to act as family history detectives. Volunteers will work alongside
research specialists learning new skills to trace individuals through time.
This fascinating work will support the Trust’s efforts to reveal the heritage
of Chatham Dockyard workers of the past. It will be part of four superb
new galleries, due to open in spring 2016 as part of a major re-launch
branded the Command of the Oceans.
Thanks to all who entered. Be sure to keep an eye out for a whole host
of exciting competitions in 2015 too!
Richard Holdsworth MBE, Preservation and Education Director at Chatham
Historic Dockyard Trust, said: “Command of the Oceans enables The
Historic Dockyard Chatham to fully reveal – for the first time – Chatham’s
truly astonishing story
during the age of sail.
Outstanding interactive
galleries will take visitors
on a voyage back to the
time when the people of
the Dockyard built ships
for the Royal Navy,
helping to establish
worldwide command of
the oceans.”
MY KENT BIG WEEKEND 2015 SET
TO BE THE BEST YET
It is anticipated that
among the names
discovered within the
records will be those of
ex-slaves, who may have
joined the Navy and
ended up in Chatham. It
is thought they then
found work as free men
in the shipbuilding
industry, settling in
Chatham and the
surrounding areas. Well-known names have been previously spotted in
these records, such as Chatham Cuffay, who is thought to have been a
slave before working at Chatham Dockyard from 1779. His son, William
Cuffay, was born in 1788 in Medway and he later famously campaigned
for workers’ rights in the Chartist Movement.
With registration now open for this year's spectacular My Kent Big Weekend,
now is the time to snap up your share and apply for the thousands of
tickets available to a wide range of Kent attractions.
Organised by Visit Kent, the annual event sees scores of attractions opening
their doors to lucky ticket holders on 21st and 22nd March as part of a
countywide celebration of Kent’s fantastic tourism industry.
Kent residents can apply for tickets to as many attractions as they like.
Two tickets per household will then be allocated by ballot to the lucky
winners, although some family tickets will be available as well. Last year,
more than 115,000 people applied for the 20,000 free tickets donated by
123 Kent attractions.
Carol Stewart, Chairperson of MACA, said: “Our organisation is very proud
to be working with Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust on such an exciting
project. I hope the project will help to put local African and Caribbean
history on the map, enabling visitors to understand just how diverse Kent
and Medway was in the 18th and 19th centuries. This is a great opportunity
to develop a better understanding between communities. I hope that other
people will be as excited about this project as we are, and assist in
unearthing more information to help create this exhibition.”
Attractions that have already signed up for 2015 include castles, cathedrals,
go kart circuits, country parks, watersports centres, breweries, vineyards,
wild animal parks, pottery workshops, and golf clubs.
Registration for tickets closes on 17th February 2015. Details of all the
destinations taking part can be seen at www.mykentbigweekend.co.uk.
More information about the project and details on how to get involved are
available by calling 01634 823860 or emailing
[email protected].
For more information about Kent, visit www.visitkent.co.uk.
www.thedockyard.co.uk
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