This year we shall be going to Hull, a place which doesn’t have any direct Martineau connections, but which does have a fascinating eighteenth and nineteenth-century history, and important links with the history of slavery through one of its most famous sons, William Wilberforce. As you know, abolition of slavery was a major interest of Harriet Martineau. You may also have noticed that Hull is the UK City of Culture for 2017; so it’s an ideal year for you to see the city at its liveliest.
The conference will, as usual, be a mixture of papers, trails and social events. It will also be a good opportunity to learn about other people who visited the area or lived here for a while. These include Lewis Carroll (who may have been inspired by the ‘Messenger Rabbit’ figure in St Mary’s Church), Charles Dickens (who gave readings in the main theatre), Queen Victoria (who stayed in our conference hotel in 1854 and whose statue is in Victoria Square), Mary Wollstonecraft who grew up in Beverley, and sensation novelist Mary Elizabeth Braddon who performed on stage in both Hull and Beverley.
For further details and a registration form for the 2017 conference click here