Normally I would not associate January with a great crop of lectures, but this January has been exceptional. Indeed there have been so many that last night brought the Anselm Lecture at the University of Kent, given by Professor Sandy Heslop on St Anselm’s ‘Glorious Choir’, a marvellous blend of sculpture, painting and stained glass, and the Canterbury branch lecture of the Historical Association at Canterbury Cathedral Archives & Library on Restoration Canterbury, given by Dr Doreen Rosman. Initially I had intended to go to the Anselm Lecture to hear Professor Heslop, an expert on medieval art and architecture, because I am interested in his analysis of Anselm’s strategies concerning the bringing together of words and images.

However, earlier in the afternoon at four I had had to be both in Darwin College, finishing teaching a seminar on ‘Towns and Townspeople in Medieval England’ and at the other end of the campus at the University of Kent in Keynes College to start a seminar on ‘Early Drama’. So having sprinted across campus once yesterday, I decided doing it again at or just after six to arrive late at the Anselm Lecture was a step too far. Consequently I decided to go for the more leisurely time of seven at the archives to hear Dr Rosman. While I am sure Sandy Heslop’s talk was fascinating, I certainly was not disappointed by going to hear Doreen Rosman. Moreover, as you will see below, in terms of time period attending Dr Rosman’s lecture made more sense because it means I can keep to the late seventeenth century.

Doreen’s talk was a tour de force concerning how one can use the locality to explore important political and social events that affected the whole country. As she said, Canterbury was not so much an exceptional place during this period, but that what was played out among the citizens and the civic authorities can provide insights into the wider picture. Furthermore, being able to make use of the extensive and varied primary sources for this period, especially those housed in the cathedral archives, some of which were on display last night, enhanced her analysis and allowed her audience to appreciate just how fortunate researchers are to have such resources locally. Indeed, Dr Rosman was able to highlight the valuable role played by earlier historians and those who had treasured the city’s records. As she said, the extensive notebooks compiled by Alderman Bunce, whose imposing portrait hangs in the archives, are a valuable starting point because he transcribed and collected together information that he thought was important in the civic archive. Dr Rosman also noted the value of the work of William Somner, the seventeenth-century Canterbury historian and antiquarian, who published his Antiquities of Canterbury for a second time in 1660 to mark the arrival of Charles II as the restored monarch. His first edition had been dedicated to Archbishop Laud in 1640, which was not a good time for such a dedication!

Dr Rosman provided a clear and comprehensive case study of Canterbury society during the reigns of Charles II and his Catholic brother James II. She looked at a range of issues but as you might expect she gave particular emphasis to the composition and attitudes of successive civic authorities – the mayor, aldermen and common councillors; and also to the strength, personnel and activities of various dissenting congregations, including the Quakers. As she said, Canterbury is very fortunate to have a detailed register, beginning in 1645, produced by one of these early independent congregations, and this register was one of the documents on display last night. Among the topics associated with these religious groups that Dr Rosman covered was the level of persecution many suffered at the hands of the local and regional authorities. Indeed the Quakers’ sufferings are recorded in ‘books of sufferings’, detailing issues such as imprisonment and the breaking up of their meetings. As she noted, they were especially targeted by officialdom because of their refusal to swear oaths (of allegiance etc), at a time when such swearing was seen as an essential part of English society.

A further important point that Dr Rosman stressed was that Canterbury, particularly during the early 1680s, as far as she can see was not ruled by those from among the dissenters; that is the city government comprised men who held a variety of opinions and no one group held sway. Moreover, she thinks the evidence points on the whole to policies of ‘live and let live’ in that the senior civic and church authorities in the city and at the cathedral realised that for these to function successfully toleration rather than persecution was a far better approach. To a degree this is at odds with some within the historiography, who appear to have been heavily influenced by the vitriolic letters of contemporaries, such as William, later Sir William, Rooke, who had a particular political (and religious) agenda and who saw ‘fanatics’ at every turn. Dr Rosman’s careful analysis has led her to believe that Rooke’s comments were unjustified and could not have been substantiated at the time in Canterbury if the Secretary of State had cared to investigate further.

These are just a few of the issues raised by Dr Rosman in what was a fascinating lecture, punctuated by moments of humour and allusions to topical concerns, such as how do you absorb large numbers of religious refugees, an issue in 1684 as it is today. As one might expect, Professor Jackie Eales, who has studied Canterbury’s history earlier in the seventeenth century, asked the first question; and another staff member of the Centre, Professor Louise Wilkinson, very ably introduced and chaired the session.

So briefly to come to my other Restoration topic, I thought I would alert readers of the blog to the Kent Archaeological Society’s churches committee study day that will take place on Saturday 15 October 2016. This will take place at Tunbridge Wells and is the fourth such study day to chart specific periods in the history of the parish church (in Kent). Previous occasions have explored medieval parish life (St Leonard’s, Hythe), living through the Reformation (St Dunstan’s, Canterbury), and the mid-nineteenth-century Oxford Movement and its legacy (Holy Trinity, Folkestone). The one this coming October will focus on the Restoration Church and the Parish, and will take place at the very interesting parish church dedicated to King Charles the Martyr (see above). As well as being a very unusual dedicated, it is extremely interesting, bringing as it does contemporary perceptions about martyrdom, associations to Christ and cult status. Among the lecturers will be Rebecca Warren, who is researching the Cromwellian Church and its ministry for her doctorate at the University of Kent. Moreover, the church archives, now held at the Kent History Library Centre in Maidstone, contain a number of seventeenth-century documents relating to the building of the church, which means that the afternoon workshops will offer opportunities to explore documentary sources as well as the church building itself. Thus at both ends of the county members of the Centre are involved in researching and disseminating ideas about this important period in Kent’s and England’s history, as well as demonstrating how universities and other organisations can work together to provide opportunities for people to investigate their own history and heritage.