Surrey HeritageTalks
Surrey History Centre staff are happy to visit local societies and groups to talk about the Centre's work and collections.
Please contact Julian Pooley (Team Leader, Heritage Public Services) on 01483 518737 or shs@surreycc.gov.uk if you wish to discuss booking a talk. For further information on Surrey History Centre visit http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/surreyhistoryservice.
The current fee for outside talks is £45 (£50 for venues outside Surrey).
Talks currently available include:
Preserving the Past for the Future: The work of Surrey History Centre.
Surrey History Centre holds over a million manuscripts, maps, engravings and drawings recording Surrey’s history from the middle ages to the digital age. This talk describes the work done in locating, preserving and making this wonderful range of information accessible to anyone interested in the history of our county
Sources for studying the History of Your House.
Find out how to become a house detective! From 16th century farmhouse to 1930s 'Semi', whatever the age of your house Surrey History Centre has sources to help trace its history. Find out how with this illustrated talk.
Relative Connections: Sources for Family History at Surrey History Centre.
Find the route to your roots with this practical illustrated talk on sources for family history held at Surrey History Centre.
A Burden on the Parish: Sources for the History of Poor Relief in Surrey.
This talk discusses the range of sources for the history of poor relief in Surrey from the sixteenth century to the eve of the Second World War. Parish records, family papers, quarter sessions records, charity and business papers, early printed sources and even illustrations can all provide vivid insights into the plight of the poor and the duties of those responsible for helping them.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind? Sources for the History of Surrey’s Mental Hospitals, 1770 - c.1990.
This talk traces the history of the care of the mentally ill and mentally handicapped in Surrey from the late 18th century, using the records of private asylums in Surrey's quarter sessions records but also the archives of Surrey's many mental hospitals: Springfield, Brookwood, Holloway Sanatorium, Royal Earlswood, and the 'Epsom Cluster' of Horton, Long Grove, The Manor, St Ebba's and West Park. It uses medical records and case papers to examine changes in treatments and shows how these records can be used by family historians.
Artists, Antiquaries and Collectors: Illustrations of Surrey collected by Robert Barclay of Bury Hill, Dorking, c.1800.
The late eighteenth century witnessed a craze among antiquaries and gentlemen collectors for collecting engravings and portraits to bind into published works of local history. Robert Barclay’s collection of over 2000 prints, watercolours and drawings, compiled to illustrate his copy of Manning and Bray’s History and Antiquities of Surrey (1804-1814) includes over 500 original watercolours of Surrey buildings by John and Edward Hassell, John Carter and Henry de Cort, which reflect the opposing contemporary tastes for picturesque views and antiquarian precision.
Owen Manning, William Bray and the writing of Surrey’s County History, 1760-1832.
Manning and Bray’s History and Antiquities of the County of Surrey took more than forty years to research and thirteen to publish. Though acknowledged as one of the finest county histories of its day, its production was fraught with difficulties. The papers of those involved testify to the support given by a national network of antiquaries. This paper, drawing on the rich archive materials of Manning and Bray, the antiquary Richard Gough and the printer, John Nichols charts the research and production of a county history which remains a basic tool for students of Surrey’s past.
The Gentleman's Magazine (1731-1856): A resource for local and family historians.
The Gentleman’s Magazine was a national institution. For its enormous readership it was an eagerly awaited monthly bulletin of national, local and even world news. It chronicled foreign wars, reviewed the latest books, discussed scientific and technological advances, listed births marriages and deaths and reported freak weather. It played a major part in communicating ideas across the eighteenth century antiquarian network and, through its detailed death notices, was a pioneer of the modern obituary. It is a goldmine of information for family and local historians.
A Tudor Gentleman of Surrey: Sir William More of Loseley.
Sir William More, builder of Loseley Park, was a friend of many of the great figures of the Elizabethan court and a trusted servant of the Queen herself. He was a participant in the dramas of the Reformation, the execution of Mary Queen of Scots and the Spanish Armada, and his surviving papers document his life in compelling detail.
John Evelyn in Surrey.
The talk discusses the diarist, virtuoso and horticulturalist John Evelyn (1620-1706), born in Surrey to a family made wealthy through the early English gunpowder industry. Evelyn's diary, covering c.1643-1706, is what now makes him famous, and since its first publication by William Bray the Surrey antiquary in the early 19th century, it has been a key source for 17th century scholars and local historians of Surrey.
The Most Wretched Man in the World: the Lives and Loves of the 5th Viscount Midleton.
This talk traces the stormy life of George Brodrick (1806-1848), 5th Viscount Midleton, who married scandalously, patronised the great Catholic architect Augustus Pugin at Peper Harow, near Godalming, saw his Irish estates ravaged by the Irish potato famine, and finally committed suicide.
John Broadwood and Sons: two centuries of musical history.
This world famous piano manufacturing company was originally founded in 1728. This talk shows how the archive has been conserved and how it can be used for tracing the history of individual pianos and studying the musical world.
Surrey on Film 1914-1953: A Community in Peace and War.
This fascinating compilation of rare moving images shows Surrey towns, villages and families in the first half of the twentieth century, celebrating in times of peace and coming together in response to the stress of two world wars.
The County Maps of Surrey.
An illustrated talk on the historic printed maps of Surrey from the 16th to the 18th century. Learn about the cartographers and engravers responsible for the major surveys of our county before the Ordnance Survey. How were these exquisite maps produced, and how can they be identified?
How To Care for your Records.
This talk gives practical advice on how to care for and preserve documents and family treasures. All archives require careful handling, sympathetic cleaning and secure storage. In this wide-ranging talk, Surrey History Centre conservators describe the painstaking work that they undertake to ensure the preservation of Surrey’s written heritage.
Corsets and Cameras' 19th century costume for dating old photographs.
An introduction to the history of late 19th and early 20th century fashion, with particular emphasis on the change in women’s costume through the years 1860-1920. The talk gives tips and techniques to use when dating or identifying old photographs or drawings, along with hints on how to avoid some of the pitfalls that may be encountered. A useful handout will be provided which includes a list of books and websites to use for further reference.
'High and Low Estate' Costume and textiles in 18th century Surrey society.
The 18th century was a period where people displayed their wealth in their dress. Whilst, the aristocratic and middle classes in Surrey were no exception to this, it could also be argued that this trend affected all social scales. With the aid of many illustrations, this talk explores a general history of 18th century fashion, and the many sources both in the History Centre and elsewhere that can be used in Surrey to explore this subject further.
Gertrude Jekyll and Sources for Garden History.
Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) was not just a gardener. She was an artist, photographer, designer and social historian whose work was highly regarded by her contemporaries and whose influence is still felt today. This talk provides a brief overview of her life and achievements, discusses the wide range of materials relating to Gertrude Jekyll that are held by Surrey History Centre and explains how to use them and other archive and local studies materials to uncover the history of gardening in Surrey.
Surrey’s War Hospitals.
There were 150 temporary hospitals set up in Surrey to cater for the 2 million men who were wounded during the First World War. This talk will follow a casualty from the front line to the one of these hospitals and the men and women who treated their wounds. Also the talk will cover the advancement in medicine that the war brought about.
Recruitment in Surrey during the First World War.
‘Jack F G, If you are not in khaki by the 20th I shall cut you dead, Ethel M’, so ran an advert in The Times. This talk looks at the men who joined the British Army during the First World War and the role women played.
Welcome Home: The Reception for the returned Queen’s Royal Surrey Regiment’s Prisoners of War and the work of the Regimental POWs Relief Fund.
Approximately 2,100 members of the Queen’s regiment were captured during the Great War. This talk looks at the reception given by the Corporation of Guildford in January 1919 for 270 repatriated POWs and the work of the Regimental POW Relief Fund during the War.
Do you have a visual impairment?
Surrey History Centre is pleased to offer a talk about the work of the centre, aimed at those with visual impairments. Examples of early papers, parchments, wax seals etc are brought along for tactile demonstration. Please contact Surrey History Centre for further information.
