Newsletter – July 2010
July 16th, 2010The Chairman opened the Society’s July meeting by reminding members of the guided tours of Hagley Park, the Sunday lunch and the forthcoming ramble, led by Irene Oliver.
The main speaker for the evening was Roy Peacock, making a welcome fifteenth appearance at the Society. His topic was Richard Foley and the seventeenth century Foleys of Stourbridge. Roy is a master of the art of public speaking and went on to enthral his audience over the next hour or so. Coming from poor beginnings (his father was a nailer); Richard used his entrepreneurial skills to eventually make a fortune through iron making. Moving from Dudley to what is now the Talbot in Stourbridge High Street; Richard became a leading figure in the town, giving large amounts of money to schools in Dudley and Stourbridge. Of Richard’s thirteen children, Roy told us something of Richard II (also an iron master), Edward (a Captain in the Parliamentary Army), Priscilla (married into the iron business) and Thomas, who made a fortune through marrying into another iron-making family that manufactured cannon. All too soon, Roy had to bring his presentation to a close but we were left with the feeling that there was much more to be said and we look forward to his sixteenth appearance.