Monthly Meetings

The Society holds its monthly meetings on the last Thursday of every month except for August and December. Meetings are held at Delapre Abbey. They start at 7:30pm and are open to members of the public as well as Society Members. Meetings are conducted on a hybrid basis, with a Zoom link provided to fully paid up members. Attendance in person is via ticket from the Ticketmaster website.

Entrance is £5.00, for non-members, or free to members. If you attend the meeting as a non-member and wish to upgrade to membership at the end your evening’s entrance fee will be deducted from the cost of membership (£20 single, £30 family).

Tickets for all talks can be booked through the NBS Ticketsource webpage: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/northantsbattles

Meetings for 2022

27th January – Death in the Garden

Michael Brown
A welcome return for Michael, after a few years absence, as he comes to talk to us about all those plants in your garden that might kill you, their history and their usage

24th February – Yorkist Foreign Policy

Matt Lewis
Matt Lewis examines the foreign policies of the Yorkist kings between 1461 and 1485, how it impacted their rule, the different focuses of Edward IV and Richard III, and an unexpected challenge to the Yorkist crown.

31st March – Northamptonshire’s Country Houses in the Civil War

Graham Evans
Northamptonshire has more country houses per square mile than any other county, occupied by the rich and powerful. Yet despite the county remaining staunchly loyal to Parliament during the Civil War, these stately homes had a role to play in the struggle.

28th April – Making History: Creating Peace in the Balkans

Tom Mouat MBE
Tom was part of the UN team that helped to implement the Dayton Peace Agreement in former Yugoslavia after the Civil War. Now, more than 25 years afterwards, we can hear the inside story from someone who was present when history was made.

26th May – The Battle of Middleton Cheney

Gregg Archer
One of Northamptonshire’s almost forgotten battles, Gregg Archer of the Battlefields Trust and Society member tells us the story of the battle, which was probably the highlight of the Earl of Northampton’s military career.

30th June – Henry VII and the Pretenders to the Tudor Crown

Nathen Amin
A welcome return from Nathen, who was one of our last speakers in 2020 before the dreaded lockdown. He’s back with his book on the those who looked to take Henry VII’s throne from him, and over turn the verdict of Bosworth

28th July – Boudicca’s Last Battle

Dr Simon Elliott
Author, historian, archaeologist and broadcaster, Simon’s most recent book on the missing IXth legion, made famous by Rosemary Sutcliffe, caused some controversy. Now he comes to share with us the latest evidence on the Battle of Watling Street.

29th September – Domesday Women

Lynn Aisbett
Society member Lynn shares her insights into the women found in the Domesday book, and assesses their influence and role in early medieval Northamptonshire society.

27th October – The Kings DNA

NB This meeting starts at 7:00pm an includes the Society AGM
Dr Turi King
Professor King is leading the team that is undertaking the full genome sequencing of Richard III, following up on her work using DNA to identify the Richard III skeleton. Expect a fascinating evening for Ricardian and non-Ricardian alike

24th November – Truth, Lies and Nazi Spies

John Bassett OBE
During WW2 the Nazis parachuted a number of agents into England. These were highly trained, motivated, and English speaking – and one of them landed in Northamptonshire.