Hull & East Riding Branch Programme 2024-25

Branch Contact:  Sylvia Usher (Branch Secretary)  usher@usher.karoo.co.uk

Venue:  The Nordic Centre, aka Danish Church, Osborne Street, Hull  HU1 2PN. Small car park at the church. No charge for those attending meetings. On street parking also possible. Meetings are held on Thursdays, starting at 7.30pm

Associate membership: £12; visitors: £3.  No charge for students

Website: www.herha.org.uk

 

10^th October.

Long Shadows

Dr. Alan Deighton. University of Hull

This semi-autobiographical novel by Vera Britten and George Sizer, a Hull journalist, highlighted the unacknowledged sufferings of World War 1 amputees and their families, and related this to the need for lasting peace.

 

7^th November 2024

A King’s Murder – and a King’s Ransom: 12^th Century Adventure (with music)

Dr. Marianne Gilchrist, Researcher

A trouvere, the northern French troubadour, had an extraordinary connection with the area which became ‘King’s Town upon Hull’, and was linked to a notorious assassination in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Unravelling this mystery will be recounted with musical accompaniment.

 

27^th February.

Deserted Medieval Settlements: Re-evaluating Lost Villages

Dr. Helen Fenwick.  University of Hull

Wharram Percy is often taken as the example of a deserted medieval village which enables us to understand the whole range. Time, more evidence discovered, and wider consideration now leads to more questions

 

27^th March

Remembering the Reformation

Professor Alexandra Walsham. National Historical Association President

The English Reformation changes looked at through families, and how generations were influenced by memories and experiences of those around them. This recent research should be considered alongside the usually emphasised political and doctrinal forces.

 

10^th April

Assessing Trauma, Resilience and Recovery in the Hull Blitz

Professor David Atkinson. University of Hull

After the 1941 devastating blitz of Hull the government secretly sent scientists to assess if trauma had brought the population to ‘breaking point’. The aim was to learn what plans must be made to ensure no breakdowns across the country. Re considering the evidence reveals how Hull people endured, and its long term impact.

 

15^th May

Venture Smith – from Slavery to Success

Chandler Saint. Researcher

Venture Smith, captured into slavery as a boy, worked his way under three slave owners to purchase his freedom for £71, 2 shillings. Through hard work in business he was able to buy his sons and his wife out of slavery, and eventually he bought land. He was an inspiration in his own state, and still is today.