Warning: The nature of running a programme of events and publicising it, often months in advance, has its dangers such as a change of venue, change of talk etc. Prior to any event please check here that the details you have are up to date.
If you are not a member of the BAHS you may wish to receive our information emails. If so, click here.
Programme for Autumn 2020
With Coronavirus making meetings difficult and local venues closed it has been decided to hold the Autumn lectures in September, October and November digitally on Zoom. Details will be emailed prior to each meeting.
Sign-up: Non-members need to register for information emails to receive an invitation to BAHS lectures. Click here to sign-up for information emails.
Each lecture will, where possible and with the speaker’s agreement, be recorded and be available on the website to be viewed at a later date. As there will be a need to edit lectures before they are placed on the website there will be a delay of a few days between the lecture and the recording being available on the website.
Tuesday 29th September 2020 7:30pm on Zoom
Imagined Coasts – The Medieval Port of Burnham
Click here to view the recording of this lecture.
Jonathan Hooton
As a result of being invited to join the imagined Land Project on Burnham Norton Friary I became involved in examining how the north Norfolk coast had changed over the last millennium and how that affected the development of the ports, in particular the port of Burnham.
This talk is based on the results of that work. It is really in two parts the first part looks at how the north Norfolk coast has changed and secondly looking at the development and decline of the port of Burnham.
This talk will also be recorded for viewing at a later date.
Venue: Online using Zoom.
Tuesday 27th October 2020 7:30pm on Zoom
Roman coins from rivers and wells in Britain: hoards or gifts for the gods?
Click here to view the recording of this lecture.
Roger Bland
Among the 3,300 coin hoards known from Britain, there is an interesting group of finds that come from rivers and wells, such as the more 12,000 coins found when the baths at Roman Bath were drained in the 1970s, seen here. Other large groups are known from the river Thames at London Bridge, the Tees and Hadrian’s Wall. Why were these groups of coins deposited in these watery places and are they hoards? The talk will look at this intriguing group of coins as a case study of research into the huge number of Roman coin hoards known from Britain.
The talk is preceded by a short AGM also on Zoom
Venue: Online using Zoom.
Tuesday 24th November 2020 7:30pm on Zoom
Dereham and its vicar in Victorian Times
Susanna Wade-Martins
The Revd Benjamin Armstrong was vicar of Dereham from 1850- 1888 and throughout this time he kept detailed diaries describing the ups and downs of his family life, social changes taking place in Norfolk towns and countryside as well as the turmoils within the Church of England. Susanna Wade- Martins is the author of a new biography of Armstrong and her lecture will explore his life, his attitude to these changes and the role he played in the life of the market town of Dereham.
Venue: Online using Zoom.
Programme for First Half 2021
Tuesday 26th January 2021 7:30pm on Zoom
The Norwich Castle: Royal Palace Reborn Project—Principles and Processes
Dr Agata Gomolka, Project Assistant Curator, Norwich Castle
The major project currently under way at Norwich Castle aims to restore and renew the original fabric of the interior of the Great Keep.
This talk will discuss the approaches and progress of the reconstruction of the Norman interiors, and the development of the museum gallery showcasing over a thousand medieval objects.
Tuesday 23rd February 2021 7:30pm on Zoom
Eighteenth-century East Anglian Antiquaries
Dr Lucilla Burn
In 1709, a grave containing Roman pottery and bronze artefacts was discovered on the outskirts of Cambridge. This talk discusses the find and the network of antiquaries who reported it, setting both in the wider context of the developing eighteenth-century interest in local history and archaeology.
Tuesday 30th March 2021 7:30pm on Zoom
The Grand Tour & Beyond
Victoria Draper, Norfolk Record Office
During the 17th and 18th centuries many young upper class men travelled across Europe in order to complete their education and immerse themselves in the culture.
In this talk Victoria Draper, from the Norfolk Record Office, will take you on a journey through the archives to uncover the experiences of these grand tourists.
Using letters and diaries held by the Record Office, Victoria will explain what the tourists thought about crossing the Channel, how they found their transport on the continent and their encounters with the local people.
Tuesday 27th April 2021 7:30pm on Zoom
Travels in the footsteps of James Baillie Fraser
Dr Ben Cartwright
In 1820, twenty-one prints called Views in the Himala Mountains introduced audiences in cities such as London, Edinburgh, Calcutta and Madras, up close and personal to the Himalayan mountains for the first time. These prints were based on the watercolours of James Baillie Fraser, and are full of weather, incredible landscapes, treacherous mountain passes, local people, and the ravages of a fading war. In 2019, Dr. Ben Cartwright (Collection Curator, The South Asia Collection, Norwich) set out to retrace this route. Here, he will talk about his experiences.
Ben at the same location