The Shallow Grave
With Richard Osgood
An astonishing story of the discovery of an extensive 7th Century burial site, right on our doorstep!
Gloucestershire in the 7th Century was a ‘liminal zone’: true frontier land. Traces of this age are limited and yet a Cotswold field has recently yielded some very important finds, evidence for a settlement which has associated burials – one of which was provided with a series of impressive grave goods.
Located by a metal detectorist, the site was investigated further by Gloucestershire Council and then by participants on the Operation Nightingale programme using archaeology to assist the recovery of military veterans. Hence, Exercise ‘Shallow Grave’ was formed. This talk will explore the site in the Cotswolds and then draw in recent parallels from other sites in Wessex – on the chalklands of the military training area of Salisbury Plain.
Richard has said: “We intend to revisit the site in 2024. We’ll continue our dig which we know the landowner is keen for us to do. It’s our belief the site could give yield important information about the re-use of a Roman site in the early Saxon period.“
The Story of Malmesbury Abbey: 670 – 1539
With Tony McAleavy
Tony McAleavy brings us up to date with the latest research and findings about the Malmesbury Abbey monastic community from St Aldhelm to the Dissolution. Modern scholarship has greatly increased our knowledge of Malmesbury Abbey during the Middle Ages.
Drawing on his own new research and the work of others Tony will explain what we now know about the foundation of the monastery and the different phases of its development. This is literally a tale of saints and sinners and Tony will highlight some of the many colourful characters associated with the Abbey.
Sounds of Wessex
The enigma of Folk-song
An unmissable opportunity, supported by live singing and recording, to discover how traditional folk songs reflect the lives and experiences of people in the Wessex region over the centuries.
In the late Nineteenth Century, a number of collectors went out among the rural working classes, collecting their songs and ballads. They called them ‘folk songs’ but they were a mixture of ancient ballads and popular songs, reworked by their passage through generations of singers. In this presentation Martin Graebe looks at the men and women who have collected traditional song in the Southwest England, at the singers they heard the songs from, and the ways in which the repertoire of the singers has changed over the centuries. The presentation will be illustrated with pictures, recordings and live singing.
900 years of the Monks at Malmesbury Abbey
A guided walk with Campbell Ritchie
Miracles, intrigue, scandal, mystery, inspiration and faith: When monks lived at Malmesbury Abbey – 900 years of stories to be told’.
Discover the ups and downs of Malmesbury Abbey and the lives of those who made it their home, from its foundation by St Aldhelm, to its selling off by Henry VIII.
The Story of the Warden and Freemen of Malmesbury
With Richard Robins, Capital Burgess.
The Warden & Freemen of Malmesbury is an organisation dating back to the time of King Athelstan and today it still continues to thrive with a growing and active membership. Supporting the Malmesbury community in a variety of ways, the organisation has a rich history in the town and continues to play an important role.
Malmesbury and the Queens of Medieval England
With Tony McAleavy
One previously neglected but important aspect of the history of Malmesbury Abbey is the close connection between the monastery and the queens of England.
From Queen Matilda, who was married to William the Conqueror to the wives of Henry VIII there were many links between the lives of the monks and the women of the ruling dynastic houses of England. Tony will explore how these relationships evolved and combined a mix of patronage and economic exploitation.