From exploring what life was like as a tavern cook in the 18th century, to gaining an insight into the archaeology of Ancaster, hearing more about the mystery of the Magna Carta and new discoveries surrounding it, through to learning about Cromwell’s first campaign: Spalding Gentlemen’s Society unveils its latest lecture programme.
The series of fascinating talks starts in September 2026 and runs through to March 2027. Featuring not only a focus on heritage but also topics such as climate change, science, and wildlife conservation, there really is something for everyone.
The new season brings together leading historians, archaeologists, scientists, conservators and curators. Gain insights into new discoveries, hear about hidden stories, and learn what goes on behind the scenes with our experts. The programme offers audiences a unique opportunity to hear directly from the people who are shaping our understanding of the past and furthering our future knowledge.
The town’s well-established programme of educational lectures has proved popular for many years now. Founded in 1710, Spalding Gentlemen’s Society is Britain’s oldest surviving provincial learned society, and for more than 300 years the Society has been a beacon of Enlightenment ideals. The organisation aims to make the sharing of knowledge accessible for everyone – whether you’re a lifelong heritage enthusiast or are simply curious to learn something new.
Sue Cooper, volunteer lecture co-ordinator at Spalding Gentlemen’s Society, says, “In the spirit of our founders, we’ve brought together exceptional storytellers and experts in their fields to offer audiences amazing insights into history, science, education and so much more for the 2026/27 programme. We’re excited to welcome audiences from this September onwards.”
She continues, “During this year of refurbishment, when the Society’s 1911 museum on Broad Street is closed, it’s more important than ever for local residents and regional audiences to take the opportunity to join together, share curiosity and knowledge, and support the charitable work carried out by Spalding Gentlemen’s Society.”
Tickets are available on the door at Broad Street Methodist Church, Spalding PE11 1TB. £5 per person, with free entry for full-time students. Doors open at 7pm and all lectures start at 7.30pm.
For more information, please email lectures@sgsoc.org or visit the website at www.sgsoc.org. You can also follow the Society’s latest news on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Bluesky.
The 2026/27 Programme
25th September
The Tavern Cook – 18th-century cooking and dining through the recipes of Richard Briggs
In 1788, Richard Briggs, sometime cook at the Globe Tavern, Fleet Street in London, published his cookery book. It was a lengthy tome: over 700 pages of recipes from a man who cooked, not in a palace, castle or stately home, but in the taverns of London. This lecture looks at the research undertaken to find out about the man, the cook and the taverns of London.
Speaker: Marc Meltonville FSA, consultant food and drink historian.
16th October
Science, Solutions and Schools – What do young people know about climate and what might they need for the future?
Young people overwhelmingly express a desire to learn more about climate change and what it means for them. In this lecture, Andrew Charlton-Perez will talk about how national education policy has changed in recent years to reflect this desire and what a future with high-quality, universal climate education might look like.
Speaker: Andrew Charlton-Perez is Head of School of Mathematical, Computational and Physical Sciences and Professor of Meteorology at the University of Reading. He leads the national Climate Ambassador volunteering scheme funded by the Department for Education.
30th October
The Archaeology of Ancaster
Attend this lecture to hear an overview of the archaeology of Ancaster, in Lincolnshire, with an emphasis on the Romano-British period. You’ll have the chance to find out more about an area that appears to have been the focus of human activity since prehistoric times and is rich in Roman remains. The town lies on Ermine Street, the major Roman road heading north from London.
Speaker: Richard Tyndall from FARI Archaeology.
13th November
The Mystery of the Magna Carta
Learn all about ‘Magna Carta: New Discoveries’. This lecture will partly look at the discovery of new original Magna Cartas, that had previously been overlooked. It will also focus on the ‘Razzamataz’ that accompanies such discoveries, seeing why some stories get star billing, whereas others (in scholarly or historical terms far more significant) never seem to attract notice beyond a narrow academic fringe. This talk will feature lots of pictures, a simple introduction to what the Magna Carta is (and isn’t), and plenty of indiscretions…
Speaker: Nicholas Vincent, Professor of Medieval History from the University of East Anglia.
27th November
Cromwell’s First Campaign – The Civil War in Lincolnshire in 1643
In 1642, the Civil Wars erupted, and Cambridgeshire MP Oliver Cromwell found himself a junior cavalry officer in Parliament’s army at the age of 43. How did a man with no military experience become one of the greatest soldiers of his time? This talk looks at Cromwell’s first campaign across Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, and how this experience formed him as a soldier.
Speaker: Stuart Orme, from the Cromwell Museum.
11th December
Archaeology and the Origins of Music
This illustrated lecture will celebrate some of the highlights from archaeology’s long engagement with music, supported by colour images and musical examples played on replicas and reconstructions.
Speaker: Dr Graeme Lawson, Cambridge archaeologist and member of Spalding Gentlemen’s Society.
15th January
Out of the Cabinet, Onto the Bench
Hear more about the ongoing conservation of Spalding Gentlemen’s Society’s unique collection of artefacts as we go through the first comprehensive condition survey. Find out about the dedicated conservation processes preserving them for future generations to enjoy.
Speaker: Mary Evans, Conservator at Cracks in Time Conservation.
29th January
The Buildings Archaeologist – Discovering the Secrets of Britain’s Ancient Buildings
We know relatively little about the ancient buildings that surround us, yet buildings archaeology can offer us so many clues for discovering the secrets of hidden historic houses. This talk looks at the ways in which ancient buildings have been studied and conserved, how some buildings became listed, whereas others were overlooked, and how we can really understand the age and development of a structure.
Speaker: James Wright, from Triskele Heritage. James Wright is an award-winning buildings archaeologist.
12th February
Lords in the Landscape: Insights from the Goxhill Leiger Book
The Goxhill Leiger Book is an overlooked collection of charters and other documents relating to the east coast of Lincolnshire in the 12th to the 14th centuries. This lecture will look at the vibrant wealth of Lincolnshire during that period, when this part of the county was a centre of highly successful commercial activity.
Speaker: Philippa Hoskin from the University of Cambridge.
26th February
St Guthlac of Peterborough … and NOT of Crowland
Building on the authors’ joint project work for the national Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture, this lecture proposes that the early monastery at Medeshamstede (later Peterborough) was the sponsor and supporter of the hermit saint, Guthlac, on the fenland island of Crowland, locating that initiative within early Benedictine monastic practice in England. It is argued that Medeshamstede subsequently sustained the saint’s pre-Viking cult and is the best candidate for the location where Felix produced the saint’s famous Life. The potential impact of this proposition on received understandings of the relationships between the monasteries of Medeshamstede and Ely and the kingdoms of Mercia and East Anglia – played out through the local fenland polity of the Gyrwe – is also considered, whilst surviving early stone sculpture at Fletton is interrogated as potential evidence for the cult of Guthlac at Medeshamstede – and eventually found wanting.
Speakers: Professor David Stocker and Professor Paul Everson.
12th March
Bernard Samuel Gilbert (1882-1927) – Chronicler and laureate of Lincolnshire, the Fens, and the East of England
Professor Jackson will introduce the work of the highly gifted, Billinghay-born author, Bernard Samuel Gilbert. His prolific literary career was short-lived, and his fictional and non-fictional writing largely disappeared into obscurity. Gilbert was accorded the accolade of the Laureate of the Fens, and his rediscovered works provide a wonderful historical and creative account of the Lincolnshire Fens, and also a wider idea of the rural East of England of the 1910s and 1920s.
Speaker: Professor Andrew Jackson, Professor of Local, Regional and Landscape History at Lincoln Bishop University.
26th March
Wings of Survival
Hear more about the work of the Baytree Owl and Raptor Centre in the protection of endangered birds of prey. Discover the beneficial impact that licensed zoological gardens and animal charities have on conservation, education and species. Attendees of the lecture will even have the chance to meet some of the birds.
Speaker: Mark Birdsall, the director of Baytree Owl and Raptor Centre in Weston, Spalding.
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