Winchester History Fringe sessions
As well as our main lectures series, Winchester History Weekend visitors can enjoy our exciting History Fringe sessions. Taking place at Elizabeth II Court in October, these free 15-minute sessions are hosted by scholars from the University of Winchester and are guaranteed to keep you occupied and informed...
Who were the bad guys of the St Brice’s Day massacre?
Who did 12th-century chroniclers feel were the villains of the 1002 St Brice’s Day massacre? The resident Anglo-Danes, the recently arrived Danes, or the English – led by Aethelred the ‘Unready’? This talk will consider how murder, intrigue, and plot (but no gunpowder) were co-ordinated at a time of the month when traditionally cattle – not humans – were butchered.
Time: 11.10am-11.25am
Date: Saturday 6 October
Location: Elizabeth II Court
Speaker: Paul Store
Food for the soul: leprosy, nutrition and the zooarchaeology of St Mary Magdalen, Winchester
Excavations at St Mary Magdalen have revealed a complex, multi-phase leprosy hospital on the outskirts of Winchester. This talk presents and explores new findings from zooarchaeological [the archaeological study of animals] analysis of the site, highlighting the importance of diet and nutrition to the treatment and care of individuals suffering from leprosy.
Time: 12.45pm-1pm
Date: Saturday 6 October
Location: Elizabeth II Court
Speaker: Alexie Kendell
Companion of the Conqueror: a study of a Norman nobleman’s connections
Walter Giffard was one of William the Conqueror’s 15 known companions at the Norman Conquest, and he received more than 100 estates in England for his part in the battle of Hastings. But what can his connections tell us about cross-Channel identity following 1066? Sarah Fry explores.
Time: 2.40pm-2.55pm
Date: Saturday 6 October
Location: Elizabeth II Court
Speaker: Sarah Fry
Eleanor of Aquitaine and Berengaria of Navarre: warring mothers and daughters-in-law in the late 12th century
This talk examines the mother and daughter-in-law relationship between Eleanor of Aquitaine and her daughter-in-law Berengaria of Navarre. The focus is on co-operation and competition, examining how Eleanor retained key aspects of queenship for the duration of Berengaria's reign as queen.
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Time: 4.05pm-4.20pm
Date: Saturday 6 October
Location: Elizabeth II Court
Speaker: Gabrielle Storey
Medieval spirit privileges
If you had money and status in the medieval period, spiritual privileges to look after your soul – both on earth and after death – were as necessary as fine fabrics, foods, fixtures and fittings. Both tangible and intangible, they were a vital part of the medieval system of religious beliefs. In this talk, Angela Clark reveals why.
Time: 11.40am-11.55am
Date: Sunday 7 October
Location: Elizabeth II Court
Speaker: Angela Clark
The Cross Bones Graveyard
An estimated 15,000 people – men, women and children – are buried beneath the Crossbones Memorial Garden in Southwark, London. Their hidden history is kept alive through vigils, art, poetry, literature, workshops and dedicated volunteers. In this talk, Lucy Coleman Talbot explores how these people – ‘the outcast dead’ – are remembered today.
Time: 1.05.pm-1.20pm
Date: Sunday 7 October
Location: Elizabeth II Court
Speaker: Lucy Coleman Talbot
Prophetic animals in early medieval England
In this talk, Eric Lacey takes a look at the curious behaviour of prophetic animals in early medieval English literature, focusing on moments when they predicted deaths or the outbreak of battle. He reveals how this animal behaviour can still be seen today, and argues for ways in which these animals learned to identify (and follow) groups of armed men in anticipation of feasting upon the carrion left in their wake.
Time: 3.10pm-3.25pm
Date: Sunday 7 October
Location: Elizabeth II Court
Speaker: Eric Lacey
The evolution of United Nations peacekeeping
Since its first mission in 1948, United Nations Peacekeeping has evolved significantly over the past 70 years. These peacekeeping missions have been conducted in a wide range of countries all over the world, including the well-known ‘failures’ of the 1990s in Bosnia and Rwanda. This talk explores the factors that brought about these changes and created the peacekeeping force used today.
Time: 4.35pm-4.50pm
Date: Sunday 7 October
Location: Elizabeth II Court
Speaker: Sarah Hilton
Locations correct at time of publication. Please double-check the location printed on your ticket for final locations to make sure there haven’t been any changes since this programme was first published.
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