Stratford-upon-Avon Research Conversations

Monthly talks at Stratford-upon-Avon Library exploring Shakespeare and local history research.

These events take place on the second Monday of each month from 3.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m., Stratford-upon-Avon Public Library, Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6QW.

Stratford-upon-Avon is the home to some of the greatest research resources for Shakespeare, the town itself, and the wider, local region.

Please come and join us for an opportunity to hear about the research being carried out into the wonderful archives and collections made available to us all.

We begin with a twenty-minute conversation between a visiting guest-speaker and someone whose research is connected to Stratford-upon-Avon and then develop that conversation more widely among those present.

Everyone is welcome. Ticketed with free admission. Refreshments are available. Donations encouraged.

Tickets can be booked on the Eventbrite website.

Presented by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Warwickshire Libraries.

Stratford-upon-Avon’s Women between the Restoration and the Industrial Revolution

This conversation begins with a focus on women who were members of two Stratford-upon-Avon trade guilds c.1660-1750, using the resources of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. It explores the work they did and considers possible reasons why women had leadership roles in the Stratford guilds, unlike most English towns.

The period c1660-1750, between the Restoration of the monarchy and the start of the industrial revolution, is under researched and generally focuses on government and religious changes, and how men managed them. But what about women’s public lives during this period?

The conversation includes the working, religious and philanthropic lives of other women as found in the archives, and how they played a role in the town’s life.

Guest speaker: Julie Chamberlain, PhD researcher, University of Leicester