Recent events and lectures
REPORTS OF RECENT LECTURES AND EXCURSIONS
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Saturday 8 October 2005: 'The 17th century Book of Games by Francis Willughby of Wollaton'-Dr Dorothy Johnston, Keeper of Manuscripts & Special Collections, University of Nottingham
Dorothy's lecture treated us to images showing different
forms of games, woodcuts of games in progress, the homes of the Willoughby
family at Middleton in Warwickshire (which the Society visited in May),
and Wollaton Hall, and illustrations from the Book of Games itself. Both
Francis Willughby (b.1635) and his lifelong friend John Ray were early
members of the Royal Society, founded 1660. John and Francis travelled
in England, Wales and on the continent, observing and collecting. This
classification of the observable world was going on in England fifty
years before Linnaeus from Sweden produced his Systema Naturae in 1735.
Francis died when he was 36, leaving his work almost entirely in notebooks
and specimens, and Ray worked on his notes on fishes and birds in order
to get these subjects published. But the Book of Games was handed down
over the years, to eventually reside amongst the Middleton papers held
by Nottingham University under Dorothy's care. She worked with David
Cram and Jeffrey Forgeng, and the Book of Games is now published.
Leslie
Cram
Saturday 10 September 2005: Excursion to Merevale Hall
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The day began and continued with rain, but this did
not dampen our spirits. The first visit was to the Gatehouse Chapel to
Merevale Abbey. We were welcomed by the vicar, Janet Casper, who spoke
about the church past and present, pointing out some of the medieval
stained glass windows. Afterwards local historian Mrs Rita Poulson answered
many questions. We then went down to the Abbey ruins, in the grounds
of Abbey Farm. The churchwarden and Mrs Poulson spoke of the history
of the Abbey itself, after which we went into Atherstone for lunch. The
town has livened up in the last couple of years and is promoting itself
as a book town, and has a tiny museum celebrating its history as a hatting
centre. The afternoon was spent at Merevale Hall, where Mr Matthew Dugdale
(left) showed us around. The house was fascinating: it had been neglected
for a number of years until Mr Dugdale and his family spent much time
and money on its restoration. Our interest was in one of the family's
ancestors - Sir William Dugdale, the antiquary, who wrote the Antiquities
of Warwickshire in 1656 and who advised Dr Thoroton when he was writing
on Nottinghamshire. Adrian Henstock told us about the Thoroton/Dugdale
connection, and a number of relevant documents were laid out for us in
the library, a particularly beautiful room. The whole tour was enlivened
by many family reminiscences. We visited the garden, before taking a
splendid tea at Mansetter Memorial Hall.
Penny Messenger
and Margaret Trueman
Past events and lectures
Photographs
of past events
Report
of lectures and events during Summer 2005
Report
of lectures and events during Spring 2005
Report
of lectures and events during Winter 2004
Report
of lectures and events during Autumn 2004
Report
of lectures and events during Summer 2004
Report
of lectures and events during Spring 2004
Report
of lectures and events during Winter 2003/04
Report
of lectures and events during Autumn 2003
Report
of lectures and events during Summer 2003
Report
of lectures and events during Spring 2003
Report
of lectures and events during Winter 2002/03
Report
of lectures and events during Summer 2002
Report
of lectures and events during Spring 2002
Report
of lectures and events during Winter 2001/02
Report
of lectures and events during Autumn 2001
Report
of lectures and events during Summer 2001
The
report of the Spring 2001 lecture series
The report of the Winter 2000/2001 lecture
series
The report of the Autumn 2000 lecture
series