Lecture at the Guildhall with funds destined for St Nicholas Hospice

A lecture by a local historian entitled “Trials and Tribulations – Appearing before the Bench at the Guildhall, Bury St Edmunds, in late Stuart & Georgian Times” is to take place in Bury St Edmunds, later this month.

It is being carried out by Dr Pat Murrell (pictured above) and is being held on Thursday, June 29, at 8pm, at the United Reformed Church, in Whiting Street.

The lecture centres on the Justices of the Peace who sat on the local bench, their increasing workload within the justice system, and some of the specific cases heard at the Borough Sessions.

Petty crime, prostitution and violent assaults reveal the less genteel side of one of Georgian Suffolk’s leading towns.

Anyone interested in what took place in the Guildhall’s Court Room and criminal activity during this period should make sure they secure a seat at this talk based on a variety of original sources.

Tickets are £10 (advance booking is essential as previous events have sold out) available from the St Nicholas Hospice Shop, in St John’s Street.

Cakes and biscuits  made from recipes of the period are included in the ticket price. Proceeds are in aid of St Nicholas Hospice. Pat Murrell’s series of lectures has so far raised over £7,000 for the hospice.