PROGRAMME

This is the current programme for the Carden Gathering (as at August 2008). Further information is provided in the notes below. Some details may change depending on the level of interest in the various activities but this is nearly the final programme.

A Registration and Booking form has been distributed to all those who have indicated an interest in attending.

Friday 12/09
Registration and Exhibition at Henfield open from 11.00
Refreshments available
Informal lunch provided
Coach transport to Brighton at 13.30
Brighton – visit to Fishing Museum or Royal Pavilion 14.30
Short talk at museum
Visit to Town Hall 17.30 – 19.00
Council Chamber and Committee Room (Tea & Coffee)
Civic welcome by the Mayor of Brighton and Hove.
Tour of building (including old police cells at 16.00 - booking required)
19.00 Disperse for visits to pier etc. Groups to make own meal arrangements
Coach back to Henfield at 21.30 or earlier

Saturday 13/09
Registration and Exhibition open from 09.30
Refreshments available
Short talks etc in Garden Room from 10.30 to 12.00
10.30 “Sir Lionel Carden in Mexico and the attempt to assassinate Queen
Victoria” by Matthew Carden
11.00 “Sir Herbert Carden” power-point presentation by Tim Carden
11.30 “The Carden DNA Project” by Arthur Carden
Bar open from 12.00
Formal lunch, quality buffet style, in Main Hall at 13.00
Speeches etc at 14.15
Group Photo at 14.30
15.00 Coach trips to Devil's Dyke and Brighton (Museum/Pavilion)
More short talks
15.00 USA Cardens seminar, led by Beth Danies of USA, joined by Ian Waller,
a professional UK researcher, to help with finding UK links.
15.00 (parallel with the above) “Researching early Brighton Cardens” by Tina Shepcott.
18.00 Special church service at St Peter's, Henfield
Rev Chris Collison, with music and readings by six family members
Disperse to branch/individual gatherings 19.00

Sunday 14/09
Registration and Exhibition open from 09.30
Refreshments available
More Short talks etc from 10.30 to 12.00
10.30 “The Arbuthnot Abduction: an incomplete story” by Kathryn Carden (new
version of 1998 talk, with additional material)
11.00 “Derbyshire Cardens, Chatsworth, Bess of Hardwick” by Michael and
Marrion Carding
11.30 “The origin of the Carden name, Carden Heraldry and Carden silver plate”
by Michael Carden and Olive Sharp
Bar open from 12.00
Informal lunch from 12.30 in Garden if clement
Coach trips to Devil's Dyke and Brighton 14.00
Registration and Exhibition at Henfield closes 18.00

Monday 15/09
AM: Travel North
Group travel by coach departs Henfield 9.30 am. 25 seats have now been booked, more are available. The price of the three-day coach trip including accommodation for two nights but not meals is currently estimated to be between £75 and £110 per person. In addition 25 more people currently expect to make the trip in their own cars.
2 pm visit to Mavesyn Ridware, Staffs (Parish Church, Hall, Gatehouse).
5 pm travel to Cheshire; meal to follow. Overnight at Travelodge Wrexham etc.

Tuesday 16/09
Cheshire. Tour of area, gatehouses, the Carden Park Hotel, the new Carden Hall, meal at the Carden Arms, Tilston, exhibits at Tilston Village Hall.
Talks at Tilston Village Hall:
The Cheshire Cardens ~ Arthur Carden
Cardens and Cardings ~ Tom Carding Jnr
Tales of people and places around Carden Hall ~ Michael Carding
Overnight at Travelodge Wrexham etc.

Wednesday 17/09
Return to Henfield via Gatwick, to drop those going to Ireland, who will stay overnight near Dublin airport.

Thursday 18/09 onwards
Individual cars to Tipperary.
19.00 Meet in ballroom, Templemore Arms, talks by Arthur Carden and by Cllr Jim O'Shea, mayor of Templemore.
18th, 19th stay Templemore Arms hotel. 20th hotel to be announced. Tour of Templemore, Barnane, Fishmoyne (Lunch in Templemore).

Notes

Gathering HQ
The main base for our activities will be the Henfield Hall at Henfield (Postcode BN5 9DB) which is a village eight miles north-west of Brighton in Sussex. There are two large free car parks, one adjacent to the Hall, the other not far away. We hope that family members will bring family photographs, interesting memorabilia etc. for display in the Exhibition. We hope to have at least one Carden Car on display – outside. A series of short talks will be organised on suitable topics of family history etc. The lunch on Saturday at the Hall will be the most formal part of the Gathering but the speeches will be very brief!

Brighton Visit
There are lots of Carden links in Brighton notably at the Fishing Museum and the Town Hall hence the visits to both locations. The latter will include a welcome from the Mayor, a tour of the building and some light refreshments. For newcomers to Brighton, a visit to the Royal Pavillion is a must.

Northern Extension
This part of the Gathering will visit two sites that have played a major part in the family history.

Mavesyn Ridware
A small hamlet in Staffordshire with the medieval gatehouse of an old Carden house and extensive Carden tombs etc. in the nearby church. Those who made this trip in 1998 found it fascinating.

Carden, Cheshire
Where it all started! Various remains of the original family seat (unfortunately the old house burnt down in 1912) are to be found plus some modern replacements – a large hotel/golf complex and a newly-built mansion. We plan to use Tilston Village Hall as a base for the day (as per our 1998 event). Our own pub, The Carden Arms, is nearby.

Ireland
This further extension of the Gathering is not of course restricted to those descended from "Irish" branches of the family, and we already have some interest from those with no such connections! We suspect some may wish to make this the start of longer, private, visits to Ireland.

Short Talks
Arthur is in charge of short talks at the Gathering and would welcome suggestions for talks in addition to those mentioned above.