Autumn 2023 Programme of Talks
The talks are held monthly, on the second Monday of each month in the Lunesdale Hall, New Road, Kirkby Lonsdale, LA6 2BG starting at 7.30pm. Admission, which includes refreshments, is £2.50.
The talks are open to members and non members.
Monday 11 September 2023
The Vegetarian Viscount - John Lowther (1655-1700) by Ivan Day
The first Viscount Lowther was the first Lord of the Treasury and Privy Seal to King William III. He was a man of considerable intellect and built Lowther Hall near Askham in the 1690s.
He was unusual for a 17th century aristocrat in that he was a committed vegetarian, a lifestyle he discusses in his memoirs which survive in his own hand at Carlisle Record Office. Ivan has also recently discovered a manuscript which contains a collection of recipes in the Lowther archives from the 1690. The manuscript gives a remarkable insight into food at the Hall in John’s lifetime.
Ivan is a well known food historian, writer and broadcaster particularly celebrated for his recreations of period table settings.
He has lectured all over the world but is most at home addressing audiences here in Cumbria. Ivan, with his usual skill, will
tell us more about this unusual Lord.
Monday 9 October 2023
All Mod Cons? A look at Country House Technology by Roger Baker
This is the story of how the owners of the big houses in the country responded when - in Victorian times - their relatives, friends and colleagues in town could begin to enjoy the benefits of gas and water, for example, with the turn of a tap.
Roger has always been fascinated by our industrial heritage and is a long serving member of the Cumbria Industrial History Society.
Monday 13 November 2023
Echoes of Old Cumbria: the folk music, dance and song of the Lake Counties by Dr Sue Allan
The literary legacy of the Lake Poets has largely overshadowed Cumbria’s musical heritage, yet the county has a rich store
of traditional music. Sue Allan’s lively talk, illustrated with both recorded and live music, reveals a unique repertoire of hunting songs and songs in dialect, as well as fiddle tunes and dances bequeathed by Lakeland’s travelling fiddlers and dancing masters.
Sue is a writer of arts features for Cumbria Life magazine and also a folk and social history scholar. She has researched and performed the songs, tunes and dances of her native county for many years and in 2017 completed a doctorate on the songs of Cumbria.
Monday 11 December 2023
Delinquents and Debtors: Life in Lancaster castle in the 19th Century by Dr Michael Winstanley
Much of what you see today in Lancaster castle dates to the late 18th and early 19th centuries when it was redeveloped as a large ‘modern’ prison and court complex. It housed both criminals and insolvent debtors. What was life like for these people? What were their living conditions? What did they eat and how did conditions change over the course of the century? What did they think of life there?
Mike is a retired Senior Lecturer from Lancaster University with a special interest in the history of the North West of England. He has regularly spoken to our society and we look forward to yet another excellent talk.
The talks are open to members and non members.
Monday 11 September 2023
The Vegetarian Viscount - John Lowther (1655-1700) by Ivan Day
The first Viscount Lowther was the first Lord of the Treasury and Privy Seal to King William III. He was a man of considerable intellect and built Lowther Hall near Askham in the 1690s.
He was unusual for a 17th century aristocrat in that he was a committed vegetarian, a lifestyle he discusses in his memoirs which survive in his own hand at Carlisle Record Office. Ivan has also recently discovered a manuscript which contains a collection of recipes in the Lowther archives from the 1690. The manuscript gives a remarkable insight into food at the Hall in John’s lifetime.
Ivan is a well known food historian, writer and broadcaster particularly celebrated for his recreations of period table settings.
He has lectured all over the world but is most at home addressing audiences here in Cumbria. Ivan, with his usual skill, will
tell us more about this unusual Lord.
Monday 9 October 2023
All Mod Cons? A look at Country House Technology by Roger Baker
This is the story of how the owners of the big houses in the country responded when - in Victorian times - their relatives, friends and colleagues in town could begin to enjoy the benefits of gas and water, for example, with the turn of a tap.
Roger has always been fascinated by our industrial heritage and is a long serving member of the Cumbria Industrial History Society.
Monday 13 November 2023
Echoes of Old Cumbria: the folk music, dance and song of the Lake Counties by Dr Sue Allan
The literary legacy of the Lake Poets has largely overshadowed Cumbria’s musical heritage, yet the county has a rich store
of traditional music. Sue Allan’s lively talk, illustrated with both recorded and live music, reveals a unique repertoire of hunting songs and songs in dialect, as well as fiddle tunes and dances bequeathed by Lakeland’s travelling fiddlers and dancing masters.
Sue is a writer of arts features for Cumbria Life magazine and also a folk and social history scholar. She has researched and performed the songs, tunes and dances of her native county for many years and in 2017 completed a doctorate on the songs of Cumbria.
Monday 11 December 2023
Delinquents and Debtors: Life in Lancaster castle in the 19th Century by Dr Michael Winstanley
Much of what you see today in Lancaster castle dates to the late 18th and early 19th centuries when it was redeveloped as a large ‘modern’ prison and court complex. It housed both criminals and insolvent debtors. What was life like for these people? What were their living conditions? What did they eat and how did conditions change over the course of the century? What did they think of life there?
Mike is a retired Senior Lecturer from Lancaster University with a special interest in the history of the North West of England. He has regularly spoken to our society and we look forward to yet another excellent talk.