Local History Talks 

I am available to talk to all kinds of groups and societies throughout the year, daytime or evening. All my talks are illustrated with overhead transparencies. I am happy to come at short notice, should you have a speaker call off. I will travel to all parts of East Anglia. Talks can last any time you wish, from 45 minutes to 1½ hours. My fee continues to be £50, with a small charge for travel if I have to go more than six miles. This should be in the region of £5 - £20.

Talks well tried and well received

Finding out about History, using Old Local Newspapers - will surprise and amuse you, as you are taken on a journey of nearly 300 years. Crime and punishment feature large in this talk, which focuses on the humorous side of life seen through the eyes of the reporters of their day. This can be tailored to suit audiences in Essex, Suffolk or Norfolk.

'Whistlecraft' - the true story of a notorious family from Rickinghall and Hinderclay in Suffolk - a tale of poaching, murder, heavy drinking and intrigue.

An Eighteenth Century Charity School - This talk traces the education and the lives of the eight boys taught by the master Thomas Warren at Earl Stonham Charity School in 1763.

Lady Alice de Bryene - lived at Acton, near Sudbury six hundred years ago. What was life like for her and those who ate at her table? It certainly wasn’t Downton Abbey!

Lucky is the Name: The life of a Suffolk farming family as told by Alf Burrows (1904 - 1969). This is a tale of triumph over adversity with wonderful comic moments - for more detail, see the description of the book of the same name.

Exploring Suffolk by Bus-Pass - There are few corners of Suffolk (and neighbouring counties) that can't be reached by bus. Those of us fortunate enough to have our bus-pass can use it to plan expeditions and days out. This talk, liberally illustrated with Suffolk views, shows how you can do it.

It happened here in Suffolk - deals with a number of strange and wonderful bites of history that have remained hidden for centuries. Accompanied by many colourful pictures, this will soon become a new book.

Frolic, Fervour and Fornication - The registers and papers that once lay in the parish chests of Suffolk villages contain all kinds of items that could so easily have been thrown away or never written at all. The surprises they reveal about the people of Suffolk in past centuries is remarkable. This talk is all about the things you never expected to find written in the parish records of Suffolk.

The Watery Places of Suffolk - a wander through the county's wettest places, in particular those that people probably don't know about.

The Amazing Story of Rev. John Heigham Steggall, the Suffolk Gipsy - Around 1800, son of a parson, he ran away and lived with a family of gipsies. In his remarkable life, he was a surgeon, sailor, soldier and parish priest at Great Ashfield. An amazing story spanning 90 years.

Suffolk Witches - from medieval days through to Victorian times, this talk looks at how superstition has haunted Suffolk and surrounding counties, and the persecution it led to.

The Journal of a Poor Suffolk Woodman - is a unique opportunity to enter the world of a poor man. In 1827, the Rector of Thorpe Morieux, near Lavenham in Suffolk gave one of his parishioners a prayer book, where he wrote a diary, in dialect, in the margins, covering the next 15 years.

For the Rest of your Natural Life - tells stories of Suffolk convicts, sentenced to transportation to Australia during the period 1787 – 1867. Find out not only what happened to them, but also to the families they left behind.

What was it like to live in Suffolk at the time of the Plague? - In this talk, I take you through the various visitations of the bubonic plague in this county, with special reference to Ipswich in 1665.

The Dissolution of the Monasteries - is a talk, liberally illustrated with colour pictures of Suffolk’s monastic heritage, that enables you enjoy the economic jiggery-pokery of sixteenth century life and hear how Suffolk’s up and coming young men made their fortunes.

Death Recorded - looks at capital punishment in Suffolk over the period 1732-1900. About a thousand received death sentences in that time, but what actually happened to them?

A Picture history of Margaret Catchpole - tells the tale of this famous Suffolk heroine through the pictures that the Rev. Richard Cobbold originally painted for his book. These were never used, but are rather charming and have only recently come to light.

Silly Songs and Stories - exactly as it sounds, is a presentation using words and music, with the emphasis on amusing items.

Daniel Malden - now presenting Suffolk's forgotten criminal in a talk telling of his exploits including two escapes from Newgate Prison. Local interest books, written to accompany some of my talks will be for sale.

Finding out about History, using Old Local Newspapers will surprise and amuse you, as you are taken on a journey of nearly 300 years. Crime and punishment feature large in this talk, which focuses on the humorous side of life seen through the eyes of the reporters of their day.

The Amazing Story of Rev. John Heigham Steggall, the Suffolk Gipsy - Around 1800, son of a parson, he ran away and lived with the gipsies. In his remarkable life, he was a surgeon, sailor, soldier and parish priest at Great Ashfield. An amazing story spanning 90 years.

Suffolk Witches - from medieval days through to Victorian times, this talk looks at how superstition has haunted Suffolk and surrounding counties, and the persecution it led to.

The Journal of a Poor Suffolk Woodman is a unique opportunity to enter the world of a poor man. In 1827, the Rector of Thorpe Morieux, near Lavenham in Suffolk gave one of his parishioners a prayer book, where he wrote a diary, in dialect, in the margins, covering the next 15 years.

For the Rest of your Natural Life tells stories of Suffolk convicts, sentenced to transportation to Australia during the period 1787 – 1867. Find out not only what happened to them, but also to the families they left behind.

What was it like to live in Suffolk at the time of the Plague? In this talk, I take you through the various visitations of the bubonic plague in this county, with special reference to Ipswich in 1665.

The Dissolution of the Monasteries, is a talk, liberally illustrated with colour pictures of Suffolk’s monastic heritage, that enables you enjoy the economic jiggery-pokery of sixteenth century life and hear how Suffolk’s up and coming young men made their fortunes.

Death Recorded looks at capital punishment in Suffolk over the period 1732-1900. About a thousand received death sentences in that time, but what actually happened to them?

A Picture history of Margaret Catchpole tells the tale of this famous Suffolk heroine through the pictures that the Rev. Richard Cobbold originally painted for his book.   These were never used, but are rather charming and have only recently come to light.

Silly Songs and Stories - exactly as it sounds, is a presentation using words and music, with the emphasis on amusing items.

The Watery Places of Suffolk - a wander through the county's wettest places, in particular those that people probably don't know about.

Daniel Malden - now presenting Suffolk's forgotten criminal in a talk telling of his exploits including two escapes from Newgate Prison.

Local interest books, written to accompany some of my talks will be for sale, priced from £3.95