What's On
Grit & Grace: Women of the Regency Era
9 May @ 10:30 am - 3:30 pm
£75.00
Join us for a day of captivating talks from historian Dr. Annie Gray, author Rebecca Wilson and archivist Laura Orriss.
Celebrate the remarkable women who stood out in the Regency era and the culinary delights that defined the period.
Enjoy Afternoon Tea. A variety of books will be available to purchase from Warwick Books and there will be an opportunity to get them signed by our speakers.
Tickets £75 + booking fee. Book at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice
10.30am – 11am, Registration
11am –12 noon, Laura Orriss, archivist.
A Life by Prophecy: Sarah, Countess of Warwick.
When Sarah had her fortune told, she thought it was just a bit of fun. After a whirlwind of Regency romances and great personal tragedies, had her life been entirely foretold? Join Laura as she tells the story of one of Warwick’s most forgotten countesses.
Laura is an archivist at Warwickshire County Record Office and has spent the last five years cataloguing and researching the Greville family of Warwick Castle archive. The Greville archive spans over 800 years of the family’s history and contains over 30,000 documents accumulated in the towers of Warwick Castle over several centuries.
12noon – 1pm, Rebecca Wilson
‘Un Lady like’ Women of the Georgian Period
Well behaved women seldom make history, and it is true.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that to be un-lady-like in the Georgian Age was a tragic and shocking thing indeed. Polite society expected women to be quiet, reserved, but some women fought against the shackles that held them back and paved the way for the rest of us.
This talk is a look at four such women, of the Georgian era, Mary Anning, Anne Lister, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Lady Sarah Pennington, who with their strength, tenacity, and sheer determination, carved out their lives against the typical expectations of the day.
Rebecca is from just outside the Lake District in West Cumbria and still lives there today with her husband, son, and two eccentric dogs. In a former life, she taught English and History up to GCSE level. She has had three non-fiction books published, Tudor Feminists, Georgian Feminists, and Victorian Feminists, all celebrating the contributions of incredible women from the different periods of history. All books are available on Amazon, Waterstones, and the Pen and Sword website.
1pm – 2.15pm, Afternoon Tea served
2.15 – 3.15pm, Dr. Annie Gray
A ‘poor attempt at rout cakes’: eating well in Regency England
The late eighteenth century had the best food in history, eaten in a style which has never been bettered. From (good) rout cakes to (even better) riotous dinners, food historian Dr Annie Gray explains why the era was so pivotal in the birth of an identifiably British cuisine. She’ll set into context all of Austen’s ball suppers and explain exactly why so many people had gout. Drawing upon satire, literature and many years of wearing Regency fashion while cooking Regency food, Annie will take us through the eating rituals of the bon ton, as well as considering the foods themselves.
Annie is one of Britain’s leading food historians. You may have heard her on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet, or seen her on the telly. She’s also worked as a consultant for all of the major heritage organisations, and for many years she worked as a costumed interpreter, mainly playing cooks. Her many books include The Bookshop, The Draper, the Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street; The Greedy Queen: Eating with Victoria; and At Christmas we Feast: Festive Food through the Ages.