First Initiatives
It was early in 1955 that someone, most probably Martin Statham, suggested that it might be a good idea for the Norfolk Record Society to widen their scope and membership to include Suffolk. Martin Statham was the Bury and West Suffolk Archivist and the General Secretary for the Suffolk Institute for Archaeology. It was also at about this time that Norman Scarfe and Geoffrey Martin, both lecturers at Leicester University, had looked into the possibility of reviving the Victoria County History for Suffolk. This had proved to be too expensive but a sub-committee of the Suffolk Institute, which duly met in August 1955, was convened to examine three possible ways forward. The first was a joint Norfolk and Suffolk Records Society; the second was a records branch of the Suffolk Institute; and the third was a separate Suffolk Records Society, but with strong Institute support. It had obviously occurred to the pioneers that, unless the two-county society could afford to produce two books a year, members with a stronger interest in one county would have to wait two years for their next instalment. Thus a separate and new records society for Suffolk was decided upon.
The Foundation
The founding fathers first met as a provisional committee on New Year’s Day 1957 in the Board Room of Barclay’s Bank, Ipswich. Mark Wathen, the host, chaired the meeting and became the first treasurer. Leslie Dow was elected chairman, with Geoffrey Martin, Norman Scarfe, Derek Charman, and Martin Statham also on the committee. The Earl of Cranbrook accepted the Presidency. A key move was inviting R. Geoffrey Smith of Cowells, leading to generous professional support from W. S. Cowell Ltd, which established the Society’s house style and oversaw the first seventeen volumes.
Initial assets included £50 in memory of Vincent and Lillian Redstone and £100 from the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology, highlighting their close relationship. County-wide support was crucial to publishing the four texts in preparation—three became the first volumes, while the fourth remains available in typescript at the Ipswich Record Office. Businesses and institutions, including county councils, corporations, trusts, and private donors, provided early financial backing. Since 1974, Suffolk County Council has been a key supporter.
The committee met seven times before organizing an inaugural public meeting on 7 October 1958 at County Hall, Ipswich. The first volume, Suffolk Farming in the Nineteenth Century, edited by Joan Thirsk, was launched to 219 members, including universities and libraries, with 240 extra copies sold. The Earl of Cranbrook chaired the meeting, and the committee formally became the council. A specially bound copy was presented to Miss Elsie Redstone. The local press responded with enthusiasm.
