2018 - 2019 Talks

2024 - 2025
2023 - 2024
2022 - 2023
2021 - 2022
2020 - 2021
2019 - 2020
2018 - 2019
2017 - 2018
2016 - 2017
2015 - 2016
2014 - 2015
2013 - 2014
2012 - 2013
2011 - 2012
2010 - 2011
2009 - 2010
25 Sep
2018

Lies, Spies and Surprises: Berlin in the Cold War

by Major General Peter Williams CMG OBE

Tuesday 25 September 2018
A look-back at what made Berlin such a mysterious and intriguing city during the Cold War.
9 Oct
2018

Alberto Bioletti. Soldier of Napoleon and Master Clockmaker of Wincanton

by John Baxter

Tuesday 9 October 2018
The incredible life of the Italian soldier who survived campaigns in Italy, Egypt, Haiti and Russia before settling in Wincanton.
23 Oct
2018

The Foundation of Taunton and Somerset Hospital, 1809-1812

by Michael Davidson

Tuesday 23 October 2018
The Foundation of Taunton and Somerset Hospital (1809 – 1812), “A community effort, civic humanism in action”.
6 Nov
2018

The Durotriges – New Research

by Dr Martin Papworth

Tuesday 6 November 2018
A fresh look at the late Iron Age communities in Dorset.
20 Nov
2018

What was Medieval Chivalry really about?

by Professor Nigel Saul

Tuesday 20 November 2018
The lecture will explore some of the myths about medieval chivalry, arguing that its essence lay principally in the humane treatment of one another by the knightly class in battle.
4 Dec
2018

Sherborne: the last 160 years in photographs

by Graham Bendell

Tuesday 4 December 2018
A look at how the town has changed, or not, through images held in Sherborne Museum’s collection of photographs.
10 Jan
2019

The Titanic: dispelling the myths

by Tim Maltin

Thursday 10 January 2019
The history of the Titanic and the tragic events of 15th April 1912, dispelling a number of myths along the way.
24 Jan
2019

Exeter Cathedral: The early years

by Professor Sarah Hamilton

Thursday 24 January 2019
The early history of Exeter Cathedral up to the end of the twelfth century.
7 Feb
2019

William Sleeman and the East India Company

by Miranda Carter

Thursday 7 February 2019
Born in Stratton, Cornwall in 1779, Sleeman is known as the army officer and civil servant who suppressed the Thugs uprisings in India.
21 Feb
2019

“The Bird in the Cage”: Sir Walter Ralegh and Henry, Prince of Wales

by Professor Tim Wilks

Thursday 21 February 2019
An illustrated talk on the dangerous relationship between the condemned and imprisoned Elizabethan hero and the young Stuart heir.
7 Mar
2019

The Impact of Famine & Plague in the 14th-Century West Country: Evidence from the Vale of Taunton Deane

by Dr Christopher Thornton, FSA, FRHistS

Thursday 7 March 2019
The ‘Great Famine’ (c.1315) and the ‘Black Death’ (c.1348) contributed to a fundamental historical turning point: how can we measure the impact on population levels of these two disasters?
21 Mar
2019

Claretta Petacci and Benito Mussolini: a Fascist love story

by Professor Richard Bosworth

Thursday 21 March 2019
A review of what Mussolini’s ‘last lover’ and her extensive diary reveal of life, family, Catholicism and politics in the ‘Italian dictatorship’.