Study day – Merton: the first 100 years

A view of monastic learning by John Mansbridge (1901-81)

The Chapter House at Merton Priory was a conference venue from the twelfth century to its demolition in the sixteenth, and we’re delighted to be able to host conferences here again!

On Saturday 23 July, 2pm-5pm, we’re holding a study afternoon exploring Merton Priory during the twelfth century, and the people who made it.

Our speakers include:

• Professor Janet Burton, whose extensive bibliography includes Monastic and Religious Orders in Britain 1000–1300, The Monastic Order in Yorkshire 1066–1215, The Regular Canons in the British Isles, The Cistercians in the Middle Ages, and Monasteries and Society in Britain and Ireland in the Later Middle Ages, and she has appeared on both radio and television. She is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Wales, Trinity St David.
• Dr David Robinson, the author of The Geography of Augustinian Settlement in Medieval England and Wales, and The Cistercian Abbeys of Britain: Far from the Concourse of Men – two of the essential books in the medieval monastic historian’s armoury. One of the leading authorities on medieval buildings, he’s written guidebooks for English Heritage and Cadw, and articles for both academic journals and more popular organs like Country Life.
• Dr Hugh Doherty , Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of East Anglia. Hugh specialises in Europe’s history from the tenth to the twelfth centuries, and was involved in the major Writs and Charters of William II and Henry I project. He is Vice-President of the Surtees Society, and was historical consultant for Assassin’s Creed (2016). Hugh is an expert both on Augustinian priories and on Henry I’s sheriffs, including the founder of Merton Priory.
• Dr Ian Stone. Ian lives and breathes London’s history. His thesis was on the history book (the Liber de Antiquis Legibus) of one of its aldermen, Arnold fitz Thedmar, and, alongside a busy teaching and lecturing schedule, he is currently preparing an edition of this. He’s also writing a history of the Worshipful Company of Masons, and gives frequent talks and workshops on the history of London and its merchants. (You can meet him on YouTube)

There’ll be plenty of opportunity for questions and answers.

Tea is included!

It’s free to attend, but we’d love you to register your interest on Eventbrite here.