Free Public Lecture Series at the Isle of Man College

Free Public Lecture Series at the Isle of Man College

Wed, 13 Jan 2016

Reformatory Ship Akbar - one of the reformatory ships to which young Manx delinquents were sent.

The Isle of Man College is launching a series of free monthly public lectures. These will showcase new research in history and heritage, both on the Isle of Man and further afield. The lectures will take place on Wednesday evenings from 6pm to 7pm in the Lecture Theatre at Elmwood House, near the main College campus. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to chat informally with lecturers over tea and biscuits.

The series begins on 20th January, when Dr Sue Nicol will talk on ‘Boys will be Boys, or, A Tale of Manx Juvenile Delinquency’. Sue’s research examines the experiences of juvenile offenders on the Isle of Man during the nineteenth century, some of whom were sent to Reformatory Ships on the River Mersey.

On 17th February, Dr Catriona Mackie will present some of her research on traditional housing in the Isle of Lewis in a lecture entitled ‘Tenants and landlords: Reform and Resistance in the Scottish Hebrides’. Against the backdrop of the Highland Clearances, Catriona examines the ongoing struggle between tenants and landlords over the issue of improved tenant housing during the nineteenth century.

Stacey Astill’s lecture on 16th March is entitled ‘Invention, Boredom, and Art: Allied Prisoner of War Experience 1939-1945’. Stacey examines the incredible innovation in the European POW camps during WW2, describing the ways in which objects such as clocks and radios were created by POWs using materials that were available to them, such as KLIM tins and scissors.

On 20th April, Manx National Heritage’s Curator of Field Archaeology, Andrew Johnson, will be speaking about traditional boundaries in the Manx landscape in his lecture entitled ‘The Way to the Hills: Moving from Farm to Common without Treading on Others’ Toes’. Using a variety of evidence, Andrew examines how routes which upland farmers created between their farms and the summer pastures, had an important effect on the Manx landscape.

The final lecture in this year’s series will be given by Dr Mike Hoy on 11th May. Entitled ‘A Manx Child in the Eighteenth century’, Mike’s talk examines the world of Manx children and teenagers in the home, at school, at work, and at play through the eighteenth century.

This lecture series forms part of the Isle of Man College’s new initiative, Research Vannin, which aims to promote and support research on the Island. Research Vannin will be formally launched by the College on 14th March. 

Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) in History & Heritage, Dr Catriona Mackie said: “This lecture series is a great way for the College to demonstrate the important research that our lecturers, and others in the community, are engaged in. As well as presenting examples of cutting-edge research to our own degree students, sharing this research with the general public also benefits the whole Manx community. We’ve put together an interesting and varied programme of lectures that we hope will be of interest to many on the Island.”

All are welcome to attend the lectures, and no booking is necessary. Parking for the lectures is at Thie Ushtey (signposted from Greenfield Road) which is a short walk from Elmwood House.