Our social:

TAG: agrarian history

Canterbury news and exploring an iconic building

Having had two weeks off, which gave me a chance to write a paper and almost finish an article, I thought this week I would start with a brief reminder about two Centre events in September: the Parish Histories conference and the Michael Nightingale Memorial Lecture.

Exploring Church Records at Maidstone and Canterbury

Next week I’m intending to report on Dr Diane Heath’s second set of ‘Magna Carta: Women, Children and Family’ workshops at The Royal Harbour Academy in Ramsgate (this week she is at a conference in Prague on ‘Medieval Animals’), so today I’ll just draw attention to three events that will be happening in September involving the Centre in some way.

Yews, Jews, Aliens and Canterbury World Heritage Site – a busy week

Today we reached ‘Y’ in the Heritage A – Z so if you would like to find out about the difference between Irish and English yews, then check this out: https://medium.com/the-christ-church-heritage-a-to-z/y-is-for-yew-9f06b2fb5dca  and you can see what I have written for our penultimate letter.

Princeton and Canterbury – bringing historians together

Before I get to news of events next week, including the William Somner conference on Saturday 23 March, and a report on the Kent History Postgraduates meeting, I have a stop-press announcement to make regarding Tudors and Stuarts 2019. Unfortunately, Dr Clive Holmes has had to withdraw due to ill health. Thus, he will not be able to give his lecture on Oliver Cromwell and witches, but I am exceeding fortunate and grateful that Dr Rebecca Warren from the University of Kent and an expert on the period, has generously agreed to step into the breach. She will cover the same topic but from her own angle and her lecture will be entitled: ‘Protector or Persecutor? Witches, the Devil and Oliver Cromwell’. Obviously, everyone at the Centre wishes Clive a speedy and full recovery.

Mapping places and spaces in Canterbury and Faversham

Before I get to the book launch and a meeting on mapping Faversham through time, I thought I would mention that the CCCU Kent History Postgraduates will be holding their monthly seminar next Wednesday. Our two presentations will be given by Janet Clayton, whom many of you will know is studying Scadbury manor and the surrounding area with special reference to the High Middle Ages, and Abigail Sargent. It will be great to welcome Abigail because she is doing her doctorate at Princeton University in the United States. Currently, she is on an archival research trip studying peasant communities in Kent and Normandy, again looking specifically at the High Middle Ages. Obviously, there will be a report on this seminar next week.

Challenging times throughout the centuries

I thought I would begin where in a sense I left off, and now that the programme for Women’s International Day and Women’s History Month is now up on the CCCU website, I thought I would give you the link: https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/equality-and-diversity/edi-events/international-womens-day-and-womens-history-month.aspx so please feel free to check out what will be going on next month, including the two events involving the Centre.

Tudor map-making – from England and France to Ulster and the New World

At a time when everyone is busy, I’ll make this a short report and solely tell you about Dr Neil Murphy’s research seminar talk last Thursday to a packed room at Canterbury Christ Church. I have heard Neil discuss royal progresses before, but this time he turned his attention to cartography.

Exploring medieval Tonbridge – priory, castle and deer parks

This week really will be much shorter because firstly I’m going to mention a lecture organised by History at CCCU next Thursday 13 December, and then will report on one event. The lecture at 5pm in Newton, Nf09 will be given by Dr Neil Murphy of the University of Northumbria and his chosen topic is, ‘Cartography, Colonisation and Henry VIII’s Conquest of Boulogne, 1544-6’ – all welcome.

Canterbury pilgrims and Anglo-Saxon cemeteries

Next week will be more meetings than events, but it is great to know that preparations for Becket 2020 are continuing to develop on a wide range of fronts. Among these will be the conference at Canterbury Cathedral in November 2020, for which the plenary speakers are already in place and the call for papers will go out fairly soon. Other events planned include an even bigger Medieval Pageant than usual, a light show and events linked to several other medieval saints up and down the country – a truly national celebration of cathedral cities in England and Wales.