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If you are the 'speaker finder' for a local history or retirement group and you meet in or near Leicestershire then I'd strongly recommend 'Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland' (or the Rutland-only version if you prefer).
If I've already given that talk to your group then the logical follow-on is either 'Mawming and Mooning: the minds of medieval masons' or 'What the Vikings (and Anglo-Saxons) did for Leicestershire'.
In the last twenty years I've given nearly 150 lectures, workshops and the like on about forty different topics. Some are talks only and some are illustrated with photographs – details are below. My interests and expertise span local history, folklore, archaeology ('alternative' and academic), medieval carvings, contemporary culture, paganism, writing and publishing, creative photography plus several rather arcane academic 'nooks and crannies'. I 'mix and match' these different approaches to make new insights and fresh ways of looking at subjects.
When speaking to non-specialist audiences my aim is to entertain, not lecture. If anyone happens to learn something new (and everyone does!) that's a bonus. However some of my talks are pitched at more specialist interest audiences so I will always want to know a little about who is expected before agreeing to present these to 'non-specialist' groups.
Some of the more practical topics are shown as 'seminars'; this means I arrive with a clear idea of what I want to present but expect delegates to get actively involved in discussions. Workshops require a minimum of three hours plus set up time so are best during the day but can be started early evening if necessary.
All talks last close to 60 minutes unless agreed otherwise in advance (40 minute versions of more popular talks are usually an option but I need to know before I arrive!). I am always happy to take questions after the talk has concluded.
For talks at venues within about 30 miles of Market Harborough and audiences of up to about 60 my fee is £40. Fees for more distant venues and larger groups by negotiation. Workshop fees are normally £150.
With illustrated talks I bring my own digital projector, laptop and screen. A small table will be needed for the laptop and projector.
For all talks (illustrated or otherwise) I would like a large table to use for a bookstall.
Note it is essential I am able to start setting up 30 minutes before the meeting formally starts. Late arrival of the key holder means I will start late. Please warn me if you do not have easy wheelchair access all the way from the car park to the room as I bring my book stock on a trolley which does not go up stairs or in a 'chair lift' and I will need longer to set up and take down.
Please let me have the correct postcode for the venue so I can 'beam myself up' using computer maps.
Some (but not all) talks can be given at short notice so, if a speaker falls ill or whatever, give me a ring to see if I'm free. Shortest notice so far has been 3.30 one afternoon for 10.00 arrival the next morning but – so long as I'm free and there's time to load the car and drive – I'll beat that if needs be.
Contact details:
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Topics
Leicestershire local interest
- Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland [illustrated]
Standing stones that 'tell a good story', medieval crosses that have gone walkabouts, holy wells that predate churches, and plenty of other folklore to entertain and amuse.
- Mawming and Mooning: the minds of medieval masons [illustrated]
(also presented as 'Demons of the Darkness' and 'Leicestershire's Ignored Medieval Art')
Leicestershire's churches contain a wealth of ignored medieval sculpture depicting a wide variety of subjects including grotesque beasties, so-called 'Green Men' and even some rather rude exhibitionists. We may not know the names of the skilled carvers but this fully illustrated talk tries to deduce what was going on in their minds.
- Little-known Rutland [illustrated]
A version of 'Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland' which reveals how much there is the country's smallest county.
- What the Anglo-Saxons (and Vikings) did for Leicestershire
Life and all that before 1066 shapes much of modern life. Leicestershire is typified by villages and the roads in between – mostly created by our Anglo-Saxon and Viking forebears. They also gave the places names and created our national language and local dialect. Along the way they went Christian and 'accidentally' invented parish churches…
- Sacred trees of Leicestershire [short talk – about 30 minutes only]
Clues about tree veneration in Leicestershire before Christianity.
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Seasonal customs in Leicestershire [talk only; no pictures]
What was traditional at Mayday? Where were the Midsummer bonfires? How old is 'Trick or Treat'? What's the difference between Yuletide and Christmas time?
- The Radical Restoration of Wymeswold's Church [illustrated]
Why Pugin's 1830s restoration of St Mary's Wymeswold was so radical in its time.
- The Wolds – what, when and why [illustrated]
(also presented as 'The Origin of the Wolds')
The eight parishes centred on Six Hills were once one unit of land. This talk explains why and when the parishes were successively created, shedding much light on the Anglo-Saxon history of the Wolds.
- Marshall Brown's Photographs of Wymeswold Around 1900 [illustrated]
Marshall Brown was village postmaster and grocer. And also an exceptionally good pioneer amateur photographer. Many hundreds of his negatives and lantern slides have survived, providing an exceptional insight into village life about a hundred years ago.
- Sepulchral Effigies in Leicestershire and Rutland [illustrated]
The churches of Leicestershire and Rutland contain a wide range of sculptures depicting the deceased. The oldest are now-anonymous priests but the long heyday runs from alabaster knights in armour and their ladies to eighteenth century neo-Classical portraits. The artistic quality is often exceptional and includes nationally-important sculptors. (Based on the research of Max Wade Matthews.)
National/regional historical interest
- Anglo-Saxon Sacred Places
Shrines, groves, idols, wells and much else – a summary of the latest every-changing academic thinking for non-academics!
- The Invention of Sacred Places
(also presented as 'Sacred Places: prehistory and popular imagination')
We think of prehistoric stone circles, henges and such as 'sacred places'. But modern ideas about nature, countryside, landscape, 'the rural heritage' and even the sense of 'sacred' have been invented in recent centuries. Can we strip away recent thinking and reveal how prehistoric people themselves might have thought about such sites?
- The Invention of the English Rural Idyll
Modern ideas about nature, countryside, landscape, 'the rural heritage' and such like have been invented in recent centuries. This talk explains how and when. Warning! Driving in the countryside through picturesque villages will never seem the same again…
- Out of India – the origins of the Green Man [illustrated]
There has been far too much fanciful speculation about the origin of so-called 'Green Men' carvings without any facts to support the suggestions. This talk is based on the research of Dr Mercia MacDermott (with her permission) and offers a surprising suggestion fully consistent with their actual history – which was verified by entirely independent research.
- Midlands Folk Customs [illustrated]
Photographs and 'explanations' of selected seasonal customs: Haxey Hood Game, Atherstone and Ashbourne Shrove Tuesday street football, Castleton Garland Ceremony, Abbots Bromley Horn Dance and Hallaton Hare Pie Scamble and Bottle Kicking.
- Folklore and Local History
How folk customs and lore help create and sustain village identity, and offer clues as to the 'contests' between the squirarchy and their workers. Also suggestions for how local historians can record an important aspect of local history all-too-often ignored.
- Folklore and Family History
'Remember the time at Alan's Wedding?' 'Don't do an Aunt Beth on us!' Such sayings which never need completing if you're part of the family are meaningless to anyone else. Make sure you can recognise and record all the elliptical expressions, 'in jokes', nicknames and other 'lore' that are a key part of your family's history.
Contemporary culture
- Stag Nights Not Unicorns: folklore in the age of blogs
We might think that folklore is something about an all-but-forgotten rural past. Not so. Folklore is all about us – we are the folk. Except we don't think of what we do at stag and hen nights, weddings, funerals, birthday parties, leaving do's and even the 'rituals' of holidays as folklore. This talk reveals what modern life looks like from the eyes of a folklorist.
- Living in a Mythical World
Contrary to many pejorative remarks about myths, modern society is based on myths to the same – if not a greater – extent than traditional cultures. Recognising our own myths is not easy but offers some powerful insights. Warning: This talk which will undermine everything you think is 'certain' about modern life.
- Paganism and the Folklore of Being English
Modern Paganism was invented in the mid-twentieth century by a small group of somewhat eccentric English people. Just why is paganism so 'English' and why does it seem to a folklorist as an excellent example of how ideas can be passed on in a folklore-like way?
- Are Pagans Hindus?
The origins of modern paganism are very eclectic. But the overlaps with a much older eclectic tradition – Hinduism – have rarely been seriously considered. Until now…
- Divination and Causality
Whether or not you believe that divination 'works' does not matter – you probably share the modern world's 'scientific' view of cause-and-effect which actually explains very little. Until we have a better understanding of causality we are not in a position to judge whether divination 'works'. Warning: A talk that is more than a little philosophical!
- A Cognitive Look at Paranormal Experiences
What happens in your brain at the moment you think you have seen a ghost, a fairy, a vision of the Virgin, a mystery big cat, or other paranormal apparition? For that matter what happens when you brain is seeing things normally? Recent cognitive science has revealed that normal perception is far more problematical than common sense holds. So if normal seeing is perplexing, what should we make of paranormal experiences? But who says what is 'normal' and what is not normal anyway?
- Crossing the Line: trespassing on railway weirdness
A selection of modern day tales and legends relating to British railways. Based, with permission, on the research of Paul Screeton.
'Alternative' approaches to archaeology
- The Five Directions [illustrated]
In Ireland and China, among other places, people speak of the 'five directions'. There is evidence for the same thinking in medieval and Roman Britain. An exploration of how the idea of 'centre' and 'here' is prevalent in traditional culture, although ignored in modern times.
- Quest for the Omphalos
(also presented as 'Finding the Focus') [illustrated]
The idea of a 'central place' is widespread. This talk looks at Classical Greek and Roman contenders then a number of places in Britain that are recognisably the 'omphalos' (or 'navel') of their locality. However the real 'focus' of life is much closer to home…
- Dream Incubation – does magnetism affect the brain? [illustrated]
Why were a number of Greek and Roman healing shrines situated at geomagnetic anomalies? Does recent research into the effect of electromagnetic 'stimulation' of the temporal lobes of the brain offer any insights? A speculative look at Mediterranean and British 'dream incubation' temples.
Writing and publishing
I have been writing, editing and publishing local history and much other non-fiction for over twenty years. As no one is born a good writer I'm happy to share my expertise with less experienced writers. Not as a list of 'do's and don'ts' but more about getting you to think about the 'hows and whys' of historical writing.
- Writing Local History Effectively
Advice for people looking for inspiration on how to put all those piles of notes into some sort of order…
- Writing Family History Effectively
Advice on developing a family tree into a useful historical study.
- Writing Specialist History Effectively
Will I ever get to the 'truth'? Should everything be listed in chronological order? How much 'narrative' and storytelling is needed? Effective advice about these and many other questions.
- How to Write and Publish Local History (minimum three 'seminar' sessions)
Usually tailored to the specific requirements of a group.
- How to Restore Old Photos (one day workshop)
I've been retouching and 'restoring' old photographs for reproduction for more years than I want to remember. This workshop shows how to use Photoshop Elements in the most effective ways. Suitable for beginners or those with a little experience.
- How to Structure Web Sites [illustrated]
Web sites with more than a handful of pages need to be carefully 'structured' to avoid visitors getting lost or, worse still, making it difficult to update and change. Some 'back to basics' for people who rarely have to think how information and ideas are best structured.
Photographic seminars and workshops
Creative photography has been a key part of my life for over thirty years. I have used 6 cm, 35 mm and various digital cameras. Along the way I've done a wide range of commercial and more creative outdoor and studio shoots.
- How to Restore Old Photographs (one day workshop)
I've been retouching and 'restoring' old photographs for reproduction for more years than I want to remember. This workshop shows how to use Photoshop Elements in the most effective ways. Suitable for beginners or those with a little experience.
- Introduction to Studio Lighting (workshop)
Photographic studio lighting is increasingly affordable. But helpful advice on how to get the best out of the equipment is largely lacking. There are some basic 'rules' that need to be learnt – if only so you can break the rules when necessary. This workshop is for learning the more typical set ups for studio flash.
- Getting Clever with Studio Lighting (workshop)
Most of my studio photography uses simple lighting equipment 'creatively'. This workshop gets you trying the options in a reasonably structured sort of way.
- Creative Photography (one to three 'seminar' sessions)
Creative photography is not about how 'creative' your camera is or isn't. It's about how creative your thinking is, especially in the moments before clicking the shutter. Some say that creativity cannot be taught but that's not an opinion I share! You just need to be willing to learn…
More academic lectures/seminars
More details on request.
- Making Meanings in Museums
- Academe and its Other: popular perceptions of prehistory as a dialectical process
- Who re-made Avebury? [illustrated]
- Life as a Road Trip: prehistoric perceptions of place [illustrated]
- Towards a Neolithic Cosmology
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