If you would like me to come and give a talk to your group, feel free to get in touch.
Here is the list of current talks on offer:
‘Who was Beaney’, The Man Behind the Beaney Museum
This talk will shed a lot more light on the man who gave his name to the Library in Canterbury. The Beaney is a building that many of us walk by regularly but most know little if anything about the man. A very flamboyant character, the story of Beaney’s life is a real rags to riches saga. At the end of the talk the audience should know a lot more about him and can decide for themselves whether he was a generous benefactor or an egotistical murderer!
‘How to trace your family history’
This talk takes the audience through the basic sources that they can use to get started with researching their own family history. It uses Margaret’s own family history to show some of the pitfalls that you may come across, as well as showing that some family stories may be not entirely accurate and hide some very strange truths indeed.
‘How to trace the history of your house’
Many people think that unless they live in a grand or historic house they will not be able to trace the history of their home. This talk shows that every house has a story to tell, and the stories of the past occupants can be enthralling.
‘The Battle of Bossenden Wood – from the women’s point of view’
The Battle of Bossenden Wood of 1838 has been well documented locally, but this talk concentrates on the fate of the women whose husbands and fathers were either killed, imprisoned or transported after the fateful visit of John Thom to the village of Dunkirk.
‘The history of weddings’
This talk looks at the history of many of the wedding traditions that we take for granted, such as the rings, the cake, the dress, the bridesmaids and the flowers. Audience members are welcome to bring along their own wedding memorabilia and memories to add to the mix!
