Conspiracy and Betrayal
Talented and wealthy luminaries have been attracted to the Thames west of London for centuries, making the area something of a rich person’s playground. Yet, no one is immune from the human experiences of conspiracy and betrayal.
This series of seven talks ran from February 2024. They were chaired by Professor Judith Hawley of the Department of English, Royal Holloway, University of London.
Thurs 1 February 2024 (Syon Park)
Siblings, Spies and Civil War: How Family Ties Led to Conspiracy and Betrayal at Syon
Thurs 7 March 2024 (Pope’s Grotto)
Lady in a Veil: a live performance featuring Lady Mary Wortley Montagu: famous wit, pioneering writer and traveller
Thurs 6 June 2024 (The William Morris Society)
A ‘conspiracy of silence’ – William Morris, his wife and her lovers
Thurs 4 July 2024 (Fulham Palace)
‘This cannibal in three years space three hundred martyrs slew’. Torture and Treason at Fulham Palace
Thurs 5 September 2024 (Turner’s House)
‘He has been here and fired a gun’: J.M.W. Turner, his fellow-painters and the critics
Thurs 3 October 2024 (Ham House and Garden)
A woman’s place: how the Royalist women of Ham House defended their own
Thurs 7 November 2024
Navigating Bounds of Loyalty- 18th Century Men of Twickenham in an Age of Political, Religious and Dynastic Instability.