‘Accidents and violent death in early Modern London, 1650-1750’

Join Dr Craig Spence for an historical Lunchtime Lecture

Between the mid-seventeenth and mid-eighteenth century more than 15,000 Londoners suffered sudden violent deaths. In the early modern period, accidental and 'disorderly' deaths - from drowning, falls, stabbing, shooting, fires, explosions, suffocation, and animals and vehicles, among others - were a regular feature of urban life. Based on research conducted for his forthcoming publication on the subject, Dr Spence will explore the individual stories of some of these incidents, and the wider social response to them, which began to change atittudes from accidents being seen as simply misfortunes to events that could be avoided.

Dr Craig Spence is Academic Co-ordinator for History, Archaeology and Heritage at Bishop Grosseteste University.

This talk is part of our ongoing 'Lunchtime Lectures' series. It will be held in the auditorium at The Collection, starting at 12.30 and lasting for approximately 30 minutes.

Tickets cost £3 per person, available from the museum reception desk.