11th June: Roy Vickery - Trees, Weeds and Folklore
Most writings on plant-lore relate to the nineteenth century; current beliefs and practices are neglected. Tonight Roy, of the South London Botanical Institute, discusses current folklore associated with some common plants.
9th July: Christopher Hadley - The Riddle of Shonks’ Tomb
Christopher Hadley will ask if the fabulous stories told about a Hertfordshire tomb remember a medieval ‘dragon slayer’ or are simply attempts to explain its strange carvings. The search for an answer begins with events separated by eight hundred years: a death under the Norman yoke, and a strange discovery beneath a yew tree on a 19th Century farm.
August: SELFS Straycation walking festival: see website and flyers soon
10th Sept: Chris Roberts - Sacred turf and holy places: Football stadia and worship
With the football season underway again what better time to explore the supernatural side of soccer as well as football's folkloric roots? Chris Roberts will discuss not only cursed and haunted London grounds but some of the superstitions around the beautiful game.
8th Oct: Jeremy Harte - Keep Death On The Road - Suicide Burials in Theory and Practice
Silently at midnight they dragged the body out to a crossroads, threw it naked into the pit and hammered a stake into pale flesh. Why the cruelty, why the fear? This two-thousand-year survey of outcast burials traces the manipulation of personal tragedy into symbolic ritual.
12th November: Jennifer Wallis - Spiritualism & War
