Newsletter – July 2014
July 8th, 2014Oliver Cromwell – you either love him or hate him but you can’t ignore him. Like Richard III, history has treated him badly and he is generally remembered as the Puritan killjoy of vulgar convention. However, historians are beginning to realise how much the Protectorate and Cromwell in particular did for British cultural life. But the legend of the philistine Puritan, hostile to art and culture, dies hard in popular imagination.
It is the rehabilitation of Oliver Cromwell which was at the heart of the presentation by our speaker, this month, Howard Robinson. We should, he said, see him as a man of the people with a great cause, an inspirational leader and amazing battle strategist. Under his leadership, Parliamentary supremacy over an arrogant and increasingly tyrannical monarch was established.
To illustrate his points, our speaker debunked some of the myths which have surrounded Oliver Cromwell. For example, he did not ban Christmas nor close theatres. This had already been done by the Puritans before Cromwell came to prominence. The desecration of cathedrals had already taken place during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under his namesake Thomas Cromwell. Members may now see him in a different light.
Hagley Parish Magazine DVD
A DVD containing searchable images of almost all the ‘Hagley Parish Magazines’ from 1862 to 2013 has been produced which, apart from general interest, will also be a valuable resource for anyone undertaking research into Hagley life in the future. It is priced at £10 or can be ordered online or from our Vice Chairman on 885964.
Our next meeting on Tuesday 7th October at 8pm, sees a return of The Master, Lord Leycester Hospital, Warwick, presenting ‘State Ceremonial’. Those who remember the Master’s previous visit in 2011 will need no reminding of this charming and eloquent speaker. Visitors are most welcome at all our events – see hhfs.org.uk for details and contacts.