William Wilberforce: Myths and Reality

by Dr Mark Smith

Thursday 29 February 2024
SHS Mark SmithTalk Wilberforce Image
SHS Mark Smith photo P1010313 copy

William Wilberforce (1759 -1833) was the subject of considerable Victorian myth making, especially in the five-volume biography written by his sons Robert and Samuel published in 1837. However, the Wilberforce Diaries Project, which is in the course of producing the first ever critical edition, of Wilberforce’s manuscript journals, is producing a picture of a real man more complex and more interesting than the Victorian plaster saint. This talk will share with the audience some of the first results of the project casting new light on a leading figure in the social, political and religious history of eighteenth and nineteenth-century Britain.

Dr Mark Smith is an Associate Professor in History at the University of Oxford and a lead editor on the Wilberforce Diaries Project.

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.

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by Sir Christopher Coville

Tuesday 26 September 2023
The Battle of Britain determined not only the future of the United Kingdom, but also of Europe and arguably the whole of the western world.
10 Oct
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1918: The Last Hundred Days, How Some Devon Newspapers Re-ported Events

by Robert Hesketh

Tuesday 10 October 2023
This talk shows how Devon newspapers reported the dramatic events of the Great War’s final phase day by day.