Gibson Library All events are held in Saffron Walden Library except where stated. There is no charge for admission and non-members are welcome. The Library has disabled access.
Thursday 27 June 2024, in Saffron Walden Library, in person, at 8:00pm
Oliver Cromwell and the crisis of the English Revolution 1647-9, a talk by Professor John Morrill
For more than a month in 1647, the headquarters of the New Model Army was at Saffron Walden and this month was crucial to the radicalisation of the army. Debates amongst the officers and representatives of the rank and file, mainly held in St Mary's Church, set the Army on a course that was to lead six months later to the famous debates on manhood suffrage and the future of the monarchy in Putney Church, and eventually to the trial, conviction and execution of Charles. In his lecture, Professor John Morrill will plot the course of this extraordinary series of events.
John Morrill is Emeritus Professor of British and Irish History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Selwyn College. The most recent of his (thirty) books is a three-volume edition of all the recorded words of Oliver Cromwell (including his words at the Saffron Walden Debates) and a volume covering 1641-1746 in the Oxford History of British and Irish Catholicism. He is also the author of a new biography of Oliver Cromwell to be published in January 2025.
There is be a limit on numbers at this talk, so we asked members to book a place in advance; all those who requested tickets by the end of 25th June have got seats, but we are now full.
Details for further meetings in 2024 will be available shortly.
When meetings are announced as being "via Zoom", GLS Members will be sent a Zoom invitation via the GLS email gibsonlibrary1832@gmail.com ; Members can also contact Peter Walker via the Library if they do not have email.
Wednesday 15 May 2024, in Saffron Walden Library, in person, at 7:30pm
Gibson Library Society's AGM
The AGM had been originally planned for 7 May, but had to be deferred as the work on the Saffron Walden Library's RAAC was over-running.
Details of the AGM are held on the Society's 2024 AGM webpage.
The AGM was followed by a talk on the ghost stories of M R James.
All members attending were asked to join us in a drinks reception after the conclusion of the AGM business.
Wednesday 20 March 2024, in Saffron Walden Library, in person, at 8:00pm
The Point of the Needle: Why Sewing matters
a talk by Barbara Burman, based on her new book on sewing
Barbara Burman chronicles new voices of people who sew today, by hand or machine, to explore what they sew, what motivates them, what they value, and why they mend things, revealing insights into sewing's more intimate stories. In our age of superfast fashion with its environmental and social injustices, this eloquent book makes a passionate case for identity, diversity, resilience, and memory - what people create for themselves as they stitch and make. Barbara will also include local examples collected from a survey conducted following an earlier talk to the Gibson Library Society.
Barbara Burman is an independent scholar, formerly based at the University of the Arts, London, and Southampton University. She is the author and editor of numerous publications on the social history of dress and textiles, including The Culture of Sewing: gender, consumption and home dressmakin'g (Berg, 1999), and was most recently the lead researcher on the national "Pockets of History" research project and co-author of The Pocket: a hidden history of women's lives, 1660-1900 (Yale University Press, 2019, paperback April 2020). She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and lives near Clare.
Wednesday 21 February 2024, via Zoom at 8:00pm
In Search of Boudica: through Iron Age and Roman Artefacts
an illustrated talk by Natasha Harlow
What evidence do we have for the fabled Queen Boudica and the British "War of Independence"? This talk looked at the varied narratives concerning the Iceni and provincial resistance to Roman occupation, provided by the study of both classical history and archaeology. It also discussed the roles of female leadership and identity in the creation of modern mythologies about the past.
Natasha Harlow researches life and identity in Iron Age and Roman Britain, in particular through the small personal artefacts often found by metal-detectorists. She studied for her BA and MA at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, and has worked in heritage, museums and education for many years. Her PhD on "Belonging and Belongings" was awarded by the University of Nottingham in 2018 and she published her first book, based on this project, in 2021. Natasha now lives in Shropshire, although her interest in community archaeology regularly brings her back to East Anglia. She has recently excavated with the Caistor Roman Project and the Later Prehistoric Norfolk Project and also runs educational workshops for the Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery.
Wednesday 31 January 2024, via Zoom at 8:00pm
The Early Stained Glass of Essex an illustrated talk by Christopher Parkinson
In his presentation to the Gibson Library Society, Chris looked at the work of the Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) - Great Britain's National Survey of Medieval Stained Glass, and its resources which are freely available. This was followed by a survey of the wealth of pre-1800 stained glass surviving in Essex, including many local examples.
Chris Parkinson developed his interest in stained glass while at University, and more recently undertook a photographic survey of 16th century stained glass in Essex for the CVMA. On completion of this project Chris was asked to co-author with Dr Penny Hebgin-Barnes (a world renowned author on medieval stained glass) a catalogue of medieval stained glass in Essex which is to be published by the CVMA. Chris has also written several journal articles on stained glass and his wonderful images have appeared in academic text books in the UK, Europe, USA and Australia.
Thursday 30 November 2023, via Zoom at 8:30pm
Writer and historian Christopher Hadley spoke about his latest book: The Road: A story of Romans and ways to the past
Christopher Hadley, acclaimed author of Hollow Places, took us on a lyrical journey into the past while retracing and searching for the elusive Braughing to Great Chesterford Roman road. Gathering traces of archaeology, history and landscape from poems, church walls, hag stones and cropmarks, oxlips, killing places, hauntings and immortals, and things buried too deep for archaeology, The Road is a mesmerising journey into two thousand years of history.
Since its publication in January 2023, The Road has attracted critical and popular acclaim. IN November 2023 it was shortlisted for the East Anglian Book of the Year Awards by the National Writing Centre.
'... magnificent ... exciting ... This is no dry and prosaic history, but a work of imagination and a deeply literary book ... wonderful prose ... striking images and lapidary sentences ... enthralling. It's an absolute joy to read and an early contender for every list of History Books of the Year' - Daily Telegraph
' ... the breadth of his knowledge ... the beauty of his prose. [The Road] deserves to be read at least twice, first to appreciate what it reveals and then to luxuriate in its effervescent voice. On nearly every page a random passage takes one's breath away' - The Times
Wednesday 18 October 2023, in the Saffron Walden Library at 8pm
Every picture tells a story, a talk by Martin Turnbull (although given by Martin Everett as Martin Turnbull was unwell).
Local photographer David Campbell took thousands of photographs of Saffron Walden during his lifetime. Many of these survive only as negatives, which were transferred to the Gibson Library after his death. Since last year Martin Turnbull has been searching and indexing this collection, and has digitised and converted nearly 2,000 negatives into positive photographs. During this illustrated talk he will describe the collection and show some of the images that have been re-discovered.
Martin Turnbull is the co-author, with John Tennant, of a new book 'Lost Walden' published this month and featuring old photographs of Saffron Walden from the collections of the Gibson Library and Saffron Walden Museum.
Wednesday 5 July 2023, Visit to David Parr House, Cambridge, at 11:30 am and 1:30pm
Full details are included in the attached sheet, 2023 David Parr House Visit webpage.
