This weekend is for anyone with an interest in the name ROWBERRY or one of its many variants found today or in the past. The theme of the weekend is "ROWBERRY to RUBERY" and new information from the 1871, 1891 and 1901 censuses and other sources will be available. So come along and learn more about your family's surname both past and present.

Participants will be welcome for all or any part(s) of the weekend and will be able to choose between staying at The Hundred House Hotel or making their own arrangements.

The Hundred House Hotel offers the very highest standards of accommodation and conference facilities, and serves a fine choice of locally produced food. All bedrooms have private bath/shower, remote colour TV, direct dial telephone, tea/coffee making facilities, etc.

It is situated on the A443 Worcester to Tenbury Wells road approximately 12 miles from Worcester, 20 miles from Stourbridge and 30 miles from Birmingham. It is set in rolling countryside in an exceptionally beautiful part of Worcestershire, lying in a fold between the Abberley and Woodbury Hills. It is an ideal setting for our purposes as it lies close to the very origins of the ROWBERRY family and thus facilitates the exploration of our roots during the weekend. It has proved a very popular choice with those who attended RONS-2000 and RONS-2002, their praise for both the accommodation and food being lavish.

If you would like to view a location map for the hotel please click on the button. This is a large file and may take some time to download.

The Hundred House has a very interesting history of its own. To read about this follow this link.

Details of local Bed and Breakfast accommodation and of caravan and camping sites are available for those wishing to make their own accommodation arrangements.

Friday 29^th April afternoon:
2pm Visit to Chaddesley Corbett The ROWBERRY family first appear in the parish registers of Chaddesley Corbett in 1822, and this family demonstrates the change of surname caused by moving over the boundaries of the regional accents. Please assemble outside the Church porch at 2pm for a guided walk of the historic village led by the Chaddesley Corbett Local History Society. From 3pm onwards the CCLHS will be laying on an exhibition and video presentation of village history and of the ROWBERRY Family of Chaddesley Corbett for us at the Village Hall. Afterwards we will go to Rowberry's Nurseries for afternoon tea (approx 4.30pm to 6pm). For those not wishing to join in the guided walk, please feel free to join us later in the afternoon. If using your own transport there is plenty of car parking available in the Village Hall Car Park and at Rowberry's Nurseries.

Chaddesley Corbett Village Hall & Rowberry's Nurseries

Friday 29^th April evening:
7.30pm for 8pm Black Country Evening at The Hundred House Hotel. The hard working conditions and often grim living conditions produced a very strong sense of humour in the Black Country, as well as preserving a very distinctive accent. It is this accent which caused the change from ROWBERRY to RUBERY, the theme of the weekend. Tommy Mundon and Harry Harrison will demonstrate it by telling some of the best of the jokes and tales of the Black Country and Maggie O'Hara will sing for us. Supper will be a traditional Black Country one - either faggots and peas or fish and chips. This is open to non-residents of the hotel as well as to residents.

Accommodation at The Hundred House Hotel.

Saturday 30^th April morning:
7.30-8.30pm Breakfast
9am on Registration
10-10.30am Welcome and introduction by Polly Rubery and Nicky Rowberry.
10.30am-5pm "Get-together", with displays of family trees and ROWBERRY One-Name Study research files and indexes. People will be welcome to come (and go) at any time. The theme will be "ROWBERRY to RUBERY" and besides being able to meet up with other members of your extended families, there will be people to answer your questions about your family and hopefully you will be able to help us to fill in a few gaps in our research! Please bring any research that you have done, and any family photographs and documents that you have, so that you can share it with others. New information from the 1871, 1891 and 1901 censuses and other sources will be available. It is hoped that everyone who attends this session (and there is no requirement for you to join us for any others) will be able to receive an up-to-date family tree for their own branch of the family. We would also ask everyone coming to bring a small passport-sized photograph of themselves which can be added to the trees on display.

Saturday 30^th April evening:
8pm Banquet. This will be open to non-residents of the hotel as well as to residents, and will consist of traditional English dishes prepared from locally produced ingredients.

Accommodation at The Hundred House Hotel.

Sunday 1^st May morning:
7.30-9am Breakfast
9.30am Coach Trip to Bromyard We will travel by way of Tenbury, which has been a home to the ROWBERRY family since the fourteenth century and Rowberry Court, Bodenham. Here we will see the "Rough Hill" which was the original source of the name. (For further details see Origins.) At Bromyard we will walk along Rowberry Street to take coffee at the Local History Centre and view an exhibition on Agricultral Labourers and the ROWBERRY Family of Bromyard. Here a totally unique and late variant, ROEBURY, appeared at the end of the nineteenth century. Another variant, ROWBREY, found more widely in the past also became established in this area at the same time. The Spring Festival and Town Crier's Competition will also be taking place so you will have plenty to entertain you.

12.30-1.30 Sunday Lunch: We will return to The Hundred House for a traditional roast lunch.

Sunday 1^st May afternoon:
2pm Trip to the Black Country Museum. Depending on demand we will round off the weekend with a trip to the Black Country Museum. Here the occupations and way of life of the families which moved to this area can be seen - very different to the farming life of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

For further details, costs etc or to receive a booking form please contact
Polly Rubery