History Talks at the Signet Library

In January we will be launching a new season of Thursday evening talks on history at the Signet Library. The talks are free to members and guests and places will be reserved on a first come first served basis. Please book your ticket via the links below or contact library@wssociety.co.uk if you have any questions.

Please note that the talks will take place in the Commissioners Room and that there is no step-free access.

The Bibliotheca Polonica: Poland and the Signet Library

Thursday 9th January, 6 pm for 7 pm

Speaker: Dr Kit Baston

When refugees and exiles turned to the Signet Library to save a great European culture from destruction.

In the years after Napoleon, Polish culture found itself under threat from enemies east and west. The effort to save it began here at the Signet Library in Edinburgh when a group of exiled Polish nobles and intellectuals donated a collection of rare and important books to the Library, creating a unique oasis of Polish culture out of reach of the Prussians and the Czar. Later collections would be established in Paris and London, but the Signet Library’s Bibliotheca Polonica was the very first and marked the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between the WS Society and the Polish nation. Dr. Kit Baston’s talk is based on her research into and survey of the collection which is now in the care of the National Library of Scotland.

Accompanied by an exhibition in the Upper West Library.

Sugar, Slaves and High Society: the Grants of Kilgraston 1750-1860

Thursday 16th January, 6 pm for 7 pm

Speaker: Richard Blake WS

The fortunes of the Grants of Kilgraston in Perthshire were interlinked with the rise and subsequent decline of the British Empire and the Caribbean slave economy. The men and women are a wonderfully varied cast of characters who were colourful, idiosyncratic, wayward and talented. As the British Empire extended its dominion, the Grants cemented their position in high society and left their mark on history as they encountered royalty and the White Rajahs of Sarawak. Drawing from his new book, Richard Blake WS explores the links between the men and women of the Grants of Kilgraston and Sarawak in south east Asia, Nova Scotia, Jamaica and Edinburgh, illuminating a crucial period in colonial history with a wonderfully varied cast of characters from an important and influential Scottish family who left a deep mark upon their times. It is hoped to have copies of the book available for purchase on the night.

Inducing Intimacy: Deception, Consent and the Law

Thursday 30th January, 6 pm for 7 pm

Speaker: Dr. Chloe Kennedy

Based in part on research conducted at the Signet Library and based upon her new book, Dr. Chloe Kennedy considers the law's response to deceptively induced intimacy across both civil and criminal law over more than two centuries. Encompassing both criminal and civil law responses within a fresh model of socio-legal history, Dr. Kennedy takes a long-term historical view which has important implications for law's treatment of induced intimacy today.

LIBRARY HOLIDAY HOURS

Monday December 16th to Thursday December 19th 9-5pm

Friday December 20th 9-4.30pm

Monday December 23rd to Friday December 27th Closed

Monday December 30th 9-5pm

Tuesday December 31st 9-12.30pm

Wednesday 1st to Thursday 2nd January Closed

Friday 3rd January 9-4.30pm

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