The Traditional Festivals of Britain by Ronald Hutton
Together with Devon Family history Society, FHSC is delighted to welcome Professor Ronald Hutton to the Seminar Series. Prof Hutton has written over a dozen books and has appeared on numerous television and radio programmes from Ghosthunters and the Edward Farm to the Secrets of Great British Castles. Specialising in Early Modern Britain, Prof Hutton is an expert in historical paganism, folklore, and modern paganism and it is on that subject that he will be talking. Hutton will explore the history of British festivals from the earliest written records to the present day, covering a wide range of traditions including May Day, Midsummer, Hallowe'en, and the twelve days of Christmas. This is certain to be an excellent talk.
This event is for members only and registration opens on 1st July, when the ‘Register [Individual]’ button will show below the title of the event, click Register and you will receive an email confirmation. Registration will close on 13 July.
The zoom links/meeting protocol will be forwarded the day before the talk. If you run into any difficulties with this, then please contact us on the dedicated seminar email address – . The Seminar series is co-ordinated by Margaret Spate, Jean Laidlaw and Margaret Roberts and ALL correspondence, queries etc should be sent to the dedicated email address.
PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT RECORD SEMINAR TALKS
Country Seats and Sporting Feats
Our Chair Margaret Roberts invites you to step onto manicured lawns where tennis was played in long skirts, horses were exercised more than their riders, and country houses doubled as surprisingly energetic playgrounds. From earnest athletic endeavours to gloriously impractical pastimes, the talk uncovers how sport, status and a healthy sense of fun collided behind the grand façades of Britain’s country estates, with many examples from Tabley House
Admission charges apply - FHSC Members £2, all others £3
Inconvenient People, and how to find them: Tales from the Victorian ‘lunacy panics’ by Sarah Wise
Sarah Wise uses her latest book "Inconvenient People: Lunacy, Liberty and the Mad-Doctors in Victorian England" as the basis for this talk. The 19th century saw a series of scandals concerning sane individuals being locked away in lunatic asylums, the victims of unscrupulous persons, who wanted to be rid of a ‘difficult’ family member, spouse or friend. But who were the victims of this trade? How much can you find out about contested cases, private asylums and dodgy doctors in the surviving archives? Sarah Wise explains what she learnt during research for her book and has some fascinating, if not very sad examples.
This event is also open to non-members, with fee of £5. Registration opens on 1st April, when the red ‘Register [Individual]’ button will show on the top left of this page, just click on that button, you will also receive an email confirmation. Non-members will be required to create a free FHSC account and complete the payment details.
Registration will close on 13th April.
The zoom links/meeting protocol will be forwarded to all registrants the day before the talk.
If you run into any difficulties with this, then please contact us on the dedicated seminar email address – . The Seminar series is co-ordinated by Margaret Spate, Jean Laidlaw and Margaret Roberts and ALL correspondence, queries etc should be sent to the dedicated email address.
PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT RECORD SEMINAR TALKS
Tales from Chester Asylum by Claire Chatterton (University of Chester)
NORTHWICH MEETING MONDAY 11th MAY2026
Talk given by Margaret Roberts, Chair of the society.
COUNTRY SEATS AND SPORTING FEATS
This talk explores the rich sporting heritage of Britain's country houses, looking at sport in the country house over the centuries. This includes hunting, shooting, cricket and tennis, from the medieval period to the 20th century. While the talk draws on examples from across the UK, special attention is given to Tabley House and its estate.
Open Meeting at Crewe Research Centre
Visit the 'Crewe Research Centre.' as the venue for our meeting this month.
Take the opportunity to view the resources, and browse the books which are for sale.
Ask questions about using FHSC improved website.