Chapels, charity, controversy and loss

Alexis Haslam
This talk will look at the life of Archibald Campbell, Bishop of London, and his family, including his daughter, Lucy Tait, who went on to have a close relationship with Mary Benson, the wife of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

About the talk

This talk will look at the lives of the Tait family, the tragedy they faced in Carlisle prior to Archibald Campbell Tait being made Bishop of London and the alterations he made to Fulham Palace. We will also take a look at Catharine Tait, the wife of the Bishop who established the Ladies Diocesan Association along with an orphanage following a cholera epidemic. Finally we will examine the life of Lucy Tait, Archibald and Catharine’s daughter, who went on to have a close relationship with Mary Benson, the wife of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

About the speaker

Alexis Haslam, community archaeologist, joined Fulham Palace Trust in May 2017. He holds a BA in History and is a Member of the Institute for Archaeologists. He began working in archaeology upon graduating in 2000, working his way up from a field technician to a project officer. He has directed and published numerous archaeological excavations including his most recent work ‘Tales from the Vaults and other Newington Horror Stories’. After 16 years he left Pre-Construct Archaeology to join Fulham Palace Trust and is currently working on writing up the Palace’s long and complex history for a monograph due to be published in 2024.

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