Are you interested in the name Alabaster? We have data on more than 3,000 Alabasters, from the present day back to
the 15th century, which we are willing to share. We have more than 150 members (households) from England,
Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, Thailand, Argentina, and Hong Kong.
The Guildhall, Hadleigh
The Alabaster Society was formed in 1993, following Gatherings held in 1990 and 1992 in Hadleigh, Suffolk of more
than 100 of the descendants of Thomas Alabaster (c1522-1592) who was a leading member of the community in
Hadleigh.  Indeed, our family is unusual in that all Alabasters in the UK are descended from Thomas, his son, John,
grandson, Thomas, and great-grandson, also called John.
A brass (pictured right), dedicated to Thomas Alabaster, can be seen in
St. Mary`s Church. A closer view of the inscription can be seen on the
Hadleigh page.
Every three years a Gathering of members is held, usually during April in
the Old School House, Hadleigh, Suffolk. The Old School was built in
1853 on the site of the former Alabaster School, which was, according to
the local historian, the late W.A.B. Jones, the first effective elementary
or non-grammar school. It was established under the will of John
Alabaster, 1637. There are eight major branches of the Alabaster family,
and so far all have been represented at each Gathering. Details of the
last Gathering are on this site.
Each time we have been able to welcome at least one member from far
flung parts of the world: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, who have
been able to join in for the first time.
After a General Meeting of the Society, we have lunch, listen to speakers and have a choice of local visits. In the
evening, dinner at the Old School House is followed by an illustrated talk by a noted local historian about the
Alabaster connections with the region.
The Society`s journal, The Alabaster Chronicle, is sent to members twice a year. The earlier back numbers can be
accessed through the Chronicles link.
The Society is a member of the Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS) whose website is at
http://www.ffhs.org.uk/ Should your enquiries ever take you away from the Alabaster family, we can heartily
recommend this site as your next port of call.
The Society is also a member of the Guild of One Name Studies http://www.one-name.org/
Anyone can join The Alabaster Society. The subscription for the year 2007-8 is £8 per household (UK and overseas).
For details of whom to ask if you have a question, how to contact us, how to join the Society, or how to make a
donation, please click the Contact us link in the navigation panel (top left and at the bottom of each page).
We hope you enjoy visiting this site, which is in a permanent state of being "under construction", as new information
is constantly added, and other pages are brought up-to-date. As larger computer screens are more commonplace now
than when the website was started, we are in the process of altering all the pages to make them easier to read on
larger, as well as smaller, screens. Most information about Alabasters past and present is to be found through the
Chronicles link.
So where to start? We suggest reading The Alabasters in Hadleigh (Chronicle No 10) from a talk given to the Society
by the late distinguished historian, W. A. B. Jones, in which he explains the activities of the Alabasters in this town
from the 16th century, and how they secured the Guildhall (pictured above) for the town.
Constitution of the Alabaster Society.
1. The name of the Society will be "The Alabaster Society" hereinafter referred to as the "society".
2. The society's objects shall be to promote and foster friendship and contact between all Alabaster descendants and
all those who have any link or interest in the name.
3. The society will issue a periodic newsletter or journal, The Alabaster Chronicle, to include both recent news and
items of interest and where relevant, updates to family "trees" etc.
4. The General Meeting of the society shall normally held during the tri-annual Gathering of members.
5. The officers of the Society shall be a Secretary and Treasurer, both of whom to be nominated and elected at the
General Meeting.
6. A non-executive committee of up to five members shall also be nominated and elected at the General Meeting.
7. The committee shall meet in person at least once a year. Matters requiring a decision to be made out of that cycle
shall be communicated by e-mail or telephone and a consensus sought.
8. The annual reports of the officers of the society will be presented through the Chronicle, the accounts requiring
prior audit.
9. The society will arrange "Gatherings" for members to meet each other to assist in the exchange of information and
increase awareness of the family's history.
10. All moneys collected shall be for the furtherance of the society. No individual shall profit from these moneys, but
out-of-pocket expenses incurred on behalf of the society may be paid at the discretion of the Committee. All
subscriptions and fees shall be paid direct to the Treasurer who shall keep an accurate record of all transactions. |
