Harleston

15 April 2021

The story of the Mayflower and the ‘Pilgrim Fathers’ began to be held in reverence in New England  by the time of the 200th anniversary of the arrival in 1820.  The fraught and troubled beginnings of ...

The story of the Mayflower and the ‘Pilgrim Fathers’ began to be held in reverence in New England  by the time of the 200th anniversary of the arrival in 1820.  The fraught and troubled beginnings of the Plymouth settlement were re-invented by politicians, poets, pastors and artists, notably John  Quincy Adams and Daniel Webster.  Plymouth Rock was turned into a national shrine and the Mayflower Compact became ‘the foundation stone of American democracy.’  The earlier Virginia Colony was swept aside; the emblem of proud southern planters, denied. The story became a national foundation myth, used  in the rhetoric of ‘freedom versus slavery’ in the decades leading up to the Civil War.

Rita Cruise  O’Brien is the author of The Mayflower: Myths, Truths and Legacies, 2020 which is available  on Amazon.

This is a FREE event but donations would be appreciated.  You must register:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/143291333235

This presentation is part of our Mayflower 400 in Harleston Lecture series where are running monthly lectures on the third Thursday of each month.  Look out for future presentations.

*** FREE event **
The Mayflower story is one of a national foundation, but what is true and what is myth? Mayflower historian and author Rita Cruise O'Brien will try to unravel fact from fiction is this fascinating story relating to the very foundation of America.

Mayflower Lecture Online: The Making of America's Foundation Myth

20 May 2021

This lecture will be hosted by Professor Geoffrey Plank, accompanied by a panel of experts from the University of East Anglia.There will be three separate talks each focussing on different aspects of ...

1. This lecture will be hosted by Professor Geoffrey Plank, accompanied by a panel of experts from the University of East Anglia.
3. There will be three separate talks each focussing on different aspects of the subject.  One of the talks entitled ‘These Poor Fruits of My Pen’ will be presented by Dr Sarah Hall, a historian of the early modern transatlantic world, with a particular focus on puritanism in England and New England. Sarah’s research interests lie in community, correspondence and social networks in the seventeenth century. She is particularly fascinated by the histories of ‘ordinary’ people and their lived experiences. Sarah is further interested in pursuing digital humanities methods, and exploring what new light can be shed on historical questions by combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. She is currently based at the University of York, working on the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project.

This is a FREE event but donations would be appreciated.  You must register:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/150227814437

This presentation is part of our Mayflower 400 in Harleston Lecture series where are running monthly lectures on the third Thursday of each month.  Look out for future presentations.

*** FREE event **
A panel of experts for the University of Easy Anglia will present a discussion on Puritan sociability and transatlantic correspondence in the mid-seventeenth century.

Mayflower Lecture Online: Transatlantic Print

10 July 2021

Ever wondered what it would have been like to live in Harleston 400 years ago? Who were the Fullers and why is there a road named after them? What would it have been like to visit The Swan Hotel when ...

Ever wondered what it would have been like to live in Harleston 400 years ago? Who were the Fullers and why is there a road named after them? What would it have been like to visit The Swan Hotel when it was a coaching in on the road to London? 

Stroll through Harleston and discover what life was like here in 17th Century. 

Actors from Harleston Players will bring to life local residents from the era in outdoor locations around the town centre. The detail of their life stories have been unearthed by the 1600s Historical Research Group from wills and inventories at the Norfolk Record Office as well as books and research documents. 

No need to book -  just come across the characters and listen to their stories and conversations. Stay as long or as short a time as you like. Look out for fliers with details.

Appropriate steps will be taken to ensure social distancing to keep everyone safe as we enjoy these outdoor performances and local colour. 

The community play about the sailing of the Mayflower and life in the new colony in Virginia due to take place this July will now be staged in July 2021. Casting took place just before lockdown, but if anyone would like to get involved please contact us.

Actors from Harleston Players will bring to life local residents from the 1600s in outdoor locations around the town centre.

Mayflower Play and Walk: Living History Re-enactments