Find out about William Raven, Buried in Old St Mary’s Churchyard
William Raven, a resident of West Bergholt, was born in Coggeshall in 1817, joined the Essex Constabulary in 1844 and died in 1911. You can now visit his, & his wife’s, grave in (Old) St Mary’s Churchyard but what happened in between those years?
Find out when Professor James Raven, from the Universities of Cambridge & Essex, gives a talk about his ancestor. He will touch on a number of topics that bear comparison with today such as:
- changing beliefs, particularly with regard to alcohol and religion,
- policing, and attitudes to crime, now & then,
- in a family what is a social norm and what is eccentric, and
- local community and political participation.
When & Where?
The talk will take place in the Old Church starting at 11:30 am on Saturday 4th September. The Friends of St Mary’s Old Church will be offering their usual high standard of refreshments from 10:45 am; they will hopefully include both sweet & savoury options.
The Friends look forward to welcoming you; there is no charge although donations will, of course, be warmly received.
About the Professor
Born in Colchester, James Raven attended The Gilberd School in the town. He read History at Clare College, Cambridge, where he also completed his doctorate on attitudes to wealth creation. He has been a visiting fellow at several American universities and institutions including:
- Rutgers University,
- The American Antiquarian Society and
- The Newberry Library, Chicago.
He was a Fellow, successively of Pembroke College and Magdalene College Cambridge, and from 1996 a Fellow of Mansfield College, Oxford and Reader in Social and Cultural History at Oxford from 2000. In 2004 he was appointed Professor of Modern History at the University of Essex, returning to his home town. [Source: Wikipedia]
He is a regular reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement, and an occasional contributor to radio and television programmes. He is currently a Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and a Fellow of the British Academy.