November AGM

The November meeting is the month for the Society’s AGM. This was well attended and the Business part of the meeting went smoothly and the evenings’ speaker was introduced.

Member, John Dewis, had researched and produced an interesting and informative talk about some of the influential but not so well known People born and associated with Peterborough.

Just a few of the charactered he introduced to us was –

Sir John Hill 1714 -1775.  Author and Botanist. John was the son of the Rev. Theophilus Hill an Apothecary at Peterborough Cathedral. John was born in Peterborough and apprenticed to his father He became a ‘Quack Doctor’ and made a considerable sum of money from his development of herbal medicine called Tincture of Bardana. He toured the country collecting herbs.

His title ‘Sir’ was a Swedish Award. Awarded in recognition of his illustrated botanical compendium The Vegetable System.

Sir’ John Hill Photo from Wikipedia. No attribution.

George Eric Deacon Alcock, MBE 1912 – 2000 a school teacher and astronomer who lived in Facet. He memorised the position of 1000 stars and discovered several comets. Quite a feat with just a pair of Naval binoculars. He became a  Fellow of the royal institute of Astronomers, the Royal Geographical Society, and the Royal Meteorological Society.

Plaque Commémoratif George Alcock in Peterborough Cathedral

Daphne Frances Jackson OBE 1936 – 1991. Born in Peterborough and educated at the County girls Grammar school and the Imperial collage London. She became a Nuclear Physicist. In 1971, she became the first female physics professor in the UK. A legacy after her death in 1991 enabled the foundation of the Daphne Jackson Trust.

Daphne Jackson OBE. Photo from Wikipedia, attributed to New Scientist magazine. Sept 1972.

Robertson Family  During the early part of the 1900s several of the seven Children of the Robertson family made their names in Cycling In 1908 DJ Robertson, won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 3,000 yards team race and a silver in the steeplechase in the 1948 London Olympics.

The “Robertson’s All Sports” trade name was first registered in 1896. A branch of Robertson’s All Sports was opened in 1940 in Cowgate.

These were just a sample of the characters who were introduced to us at the meeting.

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