TALKS PROGRAMME   - JANUARY-APRIL 2016

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January 6th              Peter Boeuf                        "A Life of Crime"

Peter will be describing his experiences as a Public Prosecutor for nearly 30 years.
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January 13th           Jenny Ridd                          "Rosetti and Romance :
                                     and Peter Marsden             An Untold Pre-Raphaelite Story"
 
Jenny and Peter owned a house where Pre-Raphaelite artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddal stayed in 1854 and where their romance blossomed, celebrated by pictures in national collections. By searching historical records and national archives, delving into walls and beneath floorboards, and archaeologically digging up the garden, Jenny and Peter discovered a remarkable untold story of the two Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood artists.
Jenny has written a book about their discoveries, titled " A Destiny Defined : Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddal in Hastings ", and will have copies available for purchase.
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January 20th           Dominic Swann                  "The Seaton Down Hoard"

In 2013 a hoard of over 22,000 4th Century Roman coins was discovered near Seaton, and Dominic will be describing this find and how it fits within the greater context of Roman Devon. Dominic has been involved as a corporate volunteer from Thomson Reuters in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum's campaign to raise £50,000 to purchase the hoard and a further £50,000 for conservation, research and display.
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January 27th            Forum Members                  "Travellers' Tales"

Members of the Forum will be describing some of their travelling experiences.
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February 3rd            Dr. Christopher
                                              Gardner-Thorpe          "Medicine Past, Present and Future :
                                                                                           Does Looking Back Help Us ? "

In addition to his work as a consultant neurologist, Christopher is the History Courses Director of the Society of Apothecaries, a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Medical History at the University of Exeter, the Honorary curator of the Devon and Exeter Medical Society, and has written a number of books, including being co-author of 'The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital 1741 - 2006' .
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February 10th                  Tom Lickiss                    "Tools of Neuroscience"

Tom is a neuroscientist and will be explaining some of the recent advances in biology and medical sciences, particularly in relation to neuroscience, stem cells and DNA.
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February 17th                    David Oates                   "Finding Features on the Flat Fen Edge"

In the last two years David has undertaken an archaeological research project in the Cambridge area using LIDAR airborne radar to discover hitherto unsuspected factors determining the development of settlements in the rather featureless landscape of the fen edge.
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February 24th                    Brian Portch                "Brunel's ss Great Britain"

Through his work as a former Volunteer Speaker, on behalf of the ss Great Britain Trust, Brian has gained a detailed knowledge of the history of this remarkable ship. When she was launched in 1843 she was called 'The greatest experiment since the creation', and the vision of Brunel in combining key innovations such as an iron hull and a propeller make it one of the most important historic ships in the world.
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March 2nd                            Dr. Bill Taylor               "An Agnostic's Pilgrimage to Santiago"

Last September Bill described his experiences walking the pilgrim route from Leon  to Santiago de Compostella. He had so much to tell us that he had to rush through the second half of the walk and due to popular demand he has agreed to repeat this part of his description in more detail, showing photographs he was unable to include in his earlier presentation.
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March 9th                              Dennis Dyson                 "The Origins of the Fishing Villages
                                                                                                  of South Devon"

The talk is based on a historian's interpretation of limited sources where an intriguing picture emerges of the relatively late development of fishing villages. The social and economic organisation of the Middle Ages shows many similarities to modern times.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


March 16th                             John Skinner                   "Some Unusual Experiences of a Vicar"

John will be describing some of his experiences as a vicar for over 50 years.
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March 23rd                             No Meeting
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March 30th                             No Meeting
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April 6th                                  Gill Day                                   "Devon Freewheelers"

Gill will be describing the organisation and role of Devon Freewheelers, a team of 50 volunteer Emergency Vehicle drivers who are dedicated to providing an out of hours and weekend service supporting the NHS in delivering essential blood, donor breast milk and medication to hospitals throughout Devon and occasionally further afield. Details of their activities can be seen on their web site at http://bloodbikes.org/ .
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April 13th                                 Dr. Jenny                             "Deeper Than Indigo :
                                                             Balfour-Paul                 Tracing Thomas Machell, Forgotten Explorer"
               
In 2015 Jenny published a book entitled 'Deeper Than Indigo : tracing Thomas Machell, forgotten explorer', which was hailed by A. N. Wilson as 'one of the most remarkable books I have ever read'. Jenny will relate the story of her extraordinary travels through Asia, the Middle East and the South Pacific while following Machell's unusual life and adventures at the height of the Raj. For details on her book see deeperthanindigo.com .
Jenny, writer, artist, traveller and lecturer, is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, a Fellow and Trustee of the Royal Geographical Society, a Fellow of New York's Explorers Club, and President of the UK Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. She is a world authority on indigo.
Further details of her work are available on the following University of Exeter web page : 

http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/iais/staff/balfour-paul/
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April 20th                                  Maggie Jameson                 "An Exeter Family 1847-1943"

Based on papers left by her grandfather and father, Maggie will talk about three generations of a family living in Exeter and Dawlish Warren, starting with an illegitimate street urchin who became a Victorian paterfamilias and owner of a print works, and following the story of his descendants up to the Second World War.
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April 27th                                   Nick Horton                          Piano Recital : A chronological survey of                                                                                                                                                    music for keyboard

Nick taught at the Maynard School for over 30 years, for 23 years of which he was the Director of Music.
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