Bristol Branch of the HA praised by HA President Professor Tony Badger

At the November Annual Meeting of the Branch Officers of the Historical Association the Bristol Branch was praised, along with the Humberside branch, as one of the fastest growing and most active branches in the country.  This is down to you our loyal members and supporters and of course to all the help we have had from speakers especially from Bristol University.  We have come a long way in just eighteen months.

During the summer of 2018 our secretary Mary Feerick worked on an HA government funded project on Women’s Suffrage. Mary’s research involved researching and producing resources for a digital map of the city showing key sites connected with events and individuals in the struggle for the vote. Mary worked with the ‘Know Your Place’ team of Ruth Myers and Pete Insole.  Mary also produced material about Annie Kenney and Emmeline Pankhurst and less well known but relevant figures in Bristol’s role in the struggle for women to get the vote. There are four lessons covering Why did some women in Bristol want the vote in 1866? How effective was the campaign in the 1870s and 1880s? How was the campaign re-invigorated after 1897? How active and successful were suffragists and suffragettes in Bristol 1897–1914? The materials are now on-linehttps://www.suffrageresources.org.uk/activity/3214/how-effective-was-the-votes-for-women-campaign-in-bristol and could easily be adapted for use by local schools.  Do get in touch in you want more details.

12^th December 2018

The Bristol HA held its final talk of 2018 with probably the most unique historical talk we have had so far.  It involved drama, research, local history and a short film which provided a real insight into how historians can use oral tradition. Openstorytellers is an organisation that supports people with learning disabilities by using contemporary and historical stories. Dr Nicola Grove came along to show us how they researched and re-enacted the story of Fanny Fust an 18^th century local heiress with learning disabilities.  Alice did much of the research and Robin Meader produced the artwork for the Fanny Fust animation. Nicola acted out the scene between the plotters who abducted Fanny. We learnt how Fanny was persuaded or charmed into going to France by Henry Bowerman a fortune hunter in 1787. He used Fanny’s love of strawberries and cream to lure her abroad. Henry Bowerman was after her money but her mother sent investigators after her and eventually she was rescued. Alice and Richard showed a short film with more of the members of Openstorytellers working with Professor Josie McLellan and Simon Jarrett on the original project.  It also showed the members of Openstorytellers working with curators at Bath Fashion Museum to understand the mysteries of 18^th century corsetry.  After the drama and the film Nicola, Robin and Alice took part in a question and answer session with our audience.

Wednesday 28th November 2018

On a stormy night in Bristol ten sixth formers impressed our judges with their arguments about ‘What was the greatest failure in the Age of Revolutions?’
Students from eight sixth forms battled for a place in the final at Windsor Castle. The winner was Beth Eastwood-Dewing from Gordano School but all the contestants impressed our three judges Adam Vaitilingam QC, Dr Amy Edwards and Dr Erica Hannah and our distinguished visitor Major General Sir Evelyn Carter-Webb of the Waterloo 200 Trust who funded the competition.

Wednesday 14th November 2018

Record turnout for Henry VIII
An audience of over 200 filled the Priory Road Lecture theatre for the second meeting of this year’s Bristol Branch of the Historical Association . Tracy Borman’s lecture on Henry VIII and the men who made him was bound to be popular but this was also thought provoking. Dr Borman wanted to shift the emphasis away from the usual discussion of the six wives and instead focus on the men in Henry VIII’s life. Some were well known figures like Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell but others less so like his tutor John Skelton, his fool Will Sumner and his best friends Charles Brandon and Sir Francis Bryan known as the Vicar of Hell. The audience followed the lecture with lots of questions including a fascinating question from Peter Greenhouse who asked Tracy Borman about the theory about Henry VIII’s syphilis which might have caused the deaths of his children by Catherine of Aragon.

Saturday 10th November 2018

A huge thank you to Madge Dresser for leading a fabulous walk around Bristol where we looked at Bristol’s involvement in the Slave Trade. This is a subject which has come alive in Bristol in the last few months. Madge has done more than anyone else to ensure that the debate is an informed one. Many of us have had to rethink our views as a result of Madge’s walk.

Saturday 27th October 2018.

21 Bristol HA folk attended the talk at Woodland Road and then braved the wind & rain touring the bomb sites of central Bristol.

17th October 2018. 56 people attended the first lecture of our second season.
Cast Bronze Reputations in Bristol & Should Colston Fall. Dave Martin.
As expected a lively debate ensued.

As  Dr Madge Dresser our brilliant tour guide on the Saturday Slave Trade Walk explained a distinguished writer who is a descendant of Bristol’s own Thomas Chatterton is giving two talks in Bristol this week.  See the following link https://www.thomaschattertonsociety.com/events