Surrey Heritage Online Talks

Surrey Heritage are delighted to announce their online talks programme for the next few months. All talks will take place on a Zoom at 5.30pm, and cost £5 each. To the Manor Born: An Introduction to Manorial Records for Family Historians: 22 September, 5.30pm to 6.45pm When we talk about manors and manorial courts, we tend to think of a large country estate with the Lord of the Manor presiding over his lands in a despotic, albeit slightly avuncular, way. Whilst there is a certain amount of truth in this ideal, the actual was a lot less romantic and more prosaic. This talk introduces us to the manorial system, how that system worked, the documents it generated and how these records can be used by the local and family historian. The Changing Face of Nursing: Black Nurses in Surrey Hospitals, A talk for Black History Month by Dr Catherine Babikian 1 October, 5.30pm to 6.45pm From its launch, the National Health Service relied on the labour of thousands of nurses, doctors, and health care workers from overseas. Surrey hospitals were no exception. For Black History Month, this talk draws on the Surrey History Centre's rich health care collections to explore the experiences of Black nurses in Surrey. The talk will begin with some framing context for how and why Black nurses from the Caribbean and Africa came to staff the NHS, before diving into the archives of Surrey hospitals such as West Park Hospital, Epsom, and Netherne Hospital, Coulsdon. Dr Catherine Babikian is an historian interested in the relationship between migration and health care. Her PhD thesis examined the history of overseas nurses in the NHS and the impact of nurse migration on Britain and its former colonies. The Gentleman's Magazine: A Panorama of Georgian Surrey for Family and Local Historians, A talk for National Libraries Week 6 October, 5.30pm to 6.45pm Founded in 1731, The Gentleman's Magazine was the world's first magazine, reporting domestic and foreign news, announcing the latest discoveries in science, medicine and technology, reviewing books and recording freak weather, births, marriages and military promotions. Its obituaries of the deceased laid the foundation for the later Dictionary of National Biography and are a major source for the lives and deaths of thousands of 18th century people. This talk provides an introduction to the magazine, explores its value for family and local historians and uncovers hidden stories of Surrey people and the county's history throughout the Georgian period. Whether you live in 'modern' Surrey or in the ancient parishes that now form part of Greater London, this talk will include examples relating to your locality. Netherne c. 1955: A Surrey Psychiatric Hospital in Focus, A talk for World Mental Health Day 13 October, 5.30pm to 6.45pm Netherne Hospital, Coulsdon, was opened by Surrey County Council in 1909. Initially accommodating 960 patients, by 1950 numbers had increased to 2,000. The hospital closed in 1994. The surviving archive, now preserved at Surrey History Centre, includes 19,500 patient case files and c.10,000 photographs taken c.1955, exploring all aspects of the hospital's life. From the wards to the airing courts; the art therapy unit to the operating table, these vivid images provide a rare glimpse of daily life inside a Surrey psychiatric hospital, allowing us to take a tour of the hospital on a typical day at what was a turning point in its history. The Most Wretched Man in the World: The Life and Loves of the 5th Viscount Midleton 17 November, 5.30pm to 6.45pm This talk traces the stormy life of George Brodrick (1806-1848), 5th Viscount Midleton, who married scandalously, patronised the great Catholic architect Augustus Pugin at Peper Harow, near Godalming, saw his Irish estates ravaged by the Irish potato famine, and finally committed suicide. For more information on each talk and to book please visit www.surreycc.gov.uk/heritageevents.

For more information on this event: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/history-centre/events