A Moral Threesome: Florence Nightingale and the Herberts – POSTPONED UNTIL A FUTURE DATE DUE TO PANDEMIC

by Dr Ruscombe Foster

Tuesday 8 December 2020
20201208 Foster Photo 1 (3)
20201208 Foster Photo 2

Two centuries after her birth, Florence Nightingale’s iconic lamp remains undimmed. Whilst her biographers acknowledge the name of Sidney Herbert along her road to fame, the latter’s reputation has fallen into relative obscurity, that of his wife even more so. The result has been both to distort and over-simplify history: the Herberts were vital to her mission, both before, during, and after the Crimean War. The equation is a simple one: no Herberts, no Nightingale.      

Russ Foster, currently an independent scholar, is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of 3 books and numerous articles on subjects ranging from Alfred the Great to Margaret Thatcher. As a teacher he spent 20 years as Head of History at Embley Park, former home of the Nightingale family. Most recently he has worked at Wilton House, home to the Herbert earls of Pembroke. In 2019 he published the first major biography of Sidney Herbert. As such he is uniquely placed to assess Nightingale, Herbert (and the usually overlooked Mrs Herbert!) in the bicentenary year of Nightingale’s birth. 

More Upcoming Talks

Talks are held in the Digby Hall, Hound Street, Sherborne, starting at 8pm.

Complimentary tea and coffee are available from 7.15pm.

29 Sep
2020

The Wars of 9/11 – POSTPONED UNTIL A FUTURE DATE DUE TO PANDEMIC

by General Sir Robert Fry

Tuesday 29 September 2020
An account of the wars started by the 9/11 attacks and their place in history.
13 Oct
2020

Marie Stopes: Her Life and Times 1880-1958 – POSTPONED UNTIL A FUTURE DATE DUE TO PANDEMIC

by David Carter

Tuesday 13 October 2020
Marie Stopes known as a birth control pioneer was also a respected paleobotanist and Portland Museum’s founder and first curator.