Murder Sex and Mayhem in English Churches

Like most people John Vigar enjoys the peace and serenity offered by English parish churches, but having visited and recorded over 13,000 of them he has found they also contain countless images of Murder, Sex and Mayhem.

Medieval murals and stained glass depict the martyrdom of saints from home and abroad, and the grisliest of dooms. At a lower level may be found misericords showing whippings, wife beatings, and brawls.

Finally there are many monuments and memorials that show scenes of murder and mayhem in goodly measure including stagecoach crashes, bridge collapses, falling trees, falling bridges, falling chimneys, shootings, stabbings, mine collapses, shipwrecks and explosions. This digital lecture will show a selection of images of murder and mayhem from across the country and explain both the stories behind them and their relevance to particular periods of history.

Can't make this time? Book anyway as this talk will be recorded and available to watch for 2 weeks. 

About the speaker:

Following a career in academia John Vigar worked for 13 years in the south-east region of The Churches Conservation Trust and he is a Trustee of a national charity, The Friends of Friendless Churches. He is a member of the Academic Advisory Board of the Centre for Parish Church Studies. John’s specialist subject is ecclesiology – the study of church architecture and associated topics. He has written extensively on the subject and leads regular tours to churches across England. He is particularly interested in nineteenth century church restoration and his MA thesis was written on the subject of Church Restoration in the Diocese of Rochester. John has written the guidebooks for several hundred churches and is the author of books on the churches of both Kent and Sussex. He has visited and recorded over 13,000 of the 16,000 Anglican churches in England and Wales.

New to Zoom and would like to attend the course but not sure how it works? Do contact us if you would like to arrange a free taster session.