Events Calendar

We Protest!

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

[2020/02/1710:002020/07/2416:00] Plots, protests and pressure groups feature in the Special Collections Gallery exhibition - from the Cato Street Conspiracy of 1820 to the work of the Women's Campaign for Soviet Jewry or student protests in the latter part of the 20th century.

Basque Child Refugee event and exhibition

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0100

[2018/06/2813:302018/06/2817:30] "The Basque Child Refugees from the Spanish Civil War - history and memory": an afternoon of talks, followed by tea and an opportunity to view "From Bilbao to Southampton to Salford" an exhibition of work by Claire Hignett.

Print and Process

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000

[2018/03/0110:002018/06/0816:00] This exhibition reveals and identifies a broad range of print processes. It includes prints from the Library's Special Collections, from the University Art Collection and from students at Winchester School of Art.

Exploring Protests, Rebellion and Revolution in the Special Collections

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000

[2017/11/2214:002017/11/2217:00] On Wednesday 22 November, Special Collections will be hosting a drop-in session highlighting an array of material relating to protests, rebellion and revolution.

Between The West and Russia

Mon, 23 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100

[2017/10/2310:002017/12/1516:00] This exhibition will draw on material from Special Collections at Southampton to consider impressions of pre-revolutionary Russia from western perspectives and revolutionary ideas and influences.

Hampshire people and places

Mon, 31 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0100

[2017/07/3115:302017/07/3117:00] On Monday 31 July 2017, the Special Collections, Hartley Library, University of Southampton, will host the latest in its “explore the collections” events.

Wellington and Waterloo revisited

Sat, 17 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0100

[2017/06/1713:302017/06/1718:30] In conjunction with a re-run of the MOOC on the Duke of Wellington and the battle of Waterloo, the Special Collections will be holding a Special Event on Saturday 17 June. This will feature a private view of the exhibition Wellington and Waterloo in the Special Collections Exhibition Gallery, a lecture on the Waterloo Despatch, followed by tea and dancing with the Duke of Wellington’s Dancers.

Wellington and Waterloo exhibition

Mon, 05 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0100

[2017/06/0510:002017/06/2316:00] The Battle of Waterloo, fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, between allied forces and the French forces commanded by Napoleon, brought to a close more than two decades of conflict. Drawing heavily on the Wellington Archive at the University, this exhibition captures the final act of these wars from the perspective of the Duke of Wellington. It considers the diplomatic background to the military campaign of 1815, the battle itself, its aftermath and the occupation of France and the commemoration of both Wellington and Waterloo. It includes descriptions of the battle in the official reports of Wellington’s commanders, and a poignant letter from Wellington to Lord Aberdeen informing him of the death of his brother Sir Alexander Gordon, one of Wellington’s aides-de-camp. Amongst the items relating to the commemoration of Waterloo and Wellington are the catalogue of the Waterloo Museum, an establishment opened in the immediate aftermath of the battle, exhibiting memorabilia, and a nautilus shell, engraved by C.H.Wood, dating from the 1850s, which contains an image of Wellington on one side and St George on the other.

Beyond Cartography: safeguarding our historic maps and plans (Special evening opening)

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

[2017/02/2817:002017/02/2820:00] This exhibition showcases maps from the University of Southampton Library’s Special Collections, illustrating the challenges that these objects bring to conservators before conservation or long-term preservation takes place.

Exploring Maps in the Special Collections

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

[2017/02/2816:152017/02/2818:00] On Tuesday, 28 February 2017, Special Collections will be hosting an open afternoon highlighting a range of map material from the collections.

Beyond Cartography: safeguarding our historic maps and plans

Mon, 20 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

[2017/02/2010:002017/04/2816:00] This exhibition showcases maps from the University of Southampton Library’s Special Collections, illustrating the challenges that these objects bring to conservators before conservation or long-term preservation takes place.

Exploring Arts in the Archives

Wed, 14 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

[2016/12/1416:152016/12/1418:00] On Wednesday, 14 December 2016, Special Collections will be hosting an open afternoon focusing on music, theatre and the visual arts, allowing visitors the opportunity to view material from the collections and meet the curators. The afternoon will conclude with a talk by Eloise Rose from the John Hansard Gallery.

Exploring health and welfare resources in the Special Collections

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000

[2016/11/1616:002016/11/1618:00] On Wednesday 16 November 2016, Special Collections will be hosting an open afternoon focusing on health and welfare, allowing visitors the opportunity to view material from the collections and meet the curators. The afternoon will include a talk by Dr Brenda Phillips discussing her research on the Royal Victoria Hospital at Netley.

Exploring the Wellington Archive

Wed, 19 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0100

[2016/10/1916:002016/10/1917:00] University of Southampton Special Collections is the home of the archive of the first Duke of Wellington. To mark the 28th Wellington Lecture on Wednesday 19 October 2016, Special Collections will be hosting an open afternoon allowing visitors to view some of the Wellington Archive and to meet the curators. Please book your ticket using the link above.

The “small work” of compassion: philanthropic sources in the Special Collections

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0100

[2016/04/2017:002016/04/2019:00] On Wednesday 20 April 2016, 1700-1900, the Special Collections will host the latest in its “explore the collections” events focusing on the theme of philanthropy. From 1700 visitors will have the opportunity to view an array of material drawn from the manuscript and printed collections. This will be followed by a 30 minutes talk given by Professor David Brown, of the University of Southampton, and then refreshments. Professor Brown is currently working on a project to publish the diaries of the great Victorian social reformer and philanthropist, the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury.

Special evening opening of The Book, the Object

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0100

[2016/04/1917:002016/04/1919:00] There will be a special evening opening of The Book, the Object exhibition at the Special Collections Gallery to coincide with an event for the current exhibition in the Level 4 Gallery.

The Book The Object exhibition

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0100

[2016/04/042016/05/27] This exhibition celebrates the culture, the manufacture and the artistry of the book, from the 15th to the 21st century.

The Book The Object exhibition

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

[2016/02/222016/03/18] This exhibition celebrates the culture, the manufacture and the artistry of the book, from the 15th to the 21st century.

Food, Glorious Food event

Wed, 09 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

[2015/12/0915:302015/12/0918:30] On Wednesday 9 December, the Special Collections, Hartley Library, will hold the next in its series of open afternoons, allowing visitors to explore material from the holdings and to meet the curators. The theme for this open afternoon will be food. Material will range across the cultivation of food, food preparation, household management, food supplies and the consumption of food. Come and find out how what was on the menu for the Patagonians visited by William Mogg during his voyage on the Beagle in the early nineteenth century.

"The poetry of the earth" event

Wed, 18 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

[2015/11/1815:302015/11/1818:00] The Special Collections, Hartley Library, University of Southampton, is home to extensive manuscript and rare book collections. As part of the national Explore Your Archive campaign, on Wednesday 18 November 2015 the Special Collections will host an open afternoon enabling visitors to discover some of our lesser known delights. Focusing on the theme of the natural world, on display will be an array of material from across the collections, including on agriculture, botany, meteorology, environmental management and entomology. The visit to Special Collections will be followed by a presentation given by Professor Terry Langford about the historic river data archive at Southampton.

Exploring the Wellington Archive

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

[2015/10/2815:302015/10/2817:00] The Special Collections, Hartley Library, University of Southampton, is the home of the archive of the first Duke of Wellington. On Wednesday 28 October 2015 the Special Collections will be hosting an open afternoon allowing visitors to view some of the Wellington Archive and to meet the curators.

Special Collections Roadshow!

The Special Collections team at the University of Southampton will be hosting a Roadshow in the level 2 foyer of Hartley Library.

New students and others in our University community are very welcome to come and meet us to find out about our archive collections, which cover a broad range of subject areas including: nineteenth-century and twentieth-century political papers; archaeological collections; archives of the Jewish community in Britain; papers on refugees and migration; and many STEM collections too! You will also learn about our rare books and named Printed Collections, such as the Cope Collection or Parkes Library, which include books from the fifteenth century.

To see what other treasures we hold, check out our browse collections page: https://archives.soton.ac.uk/collections

No booking is required for these Roadshow events.

These are the dates that we will be in the Hartley Library foyer:

Monday 23rd September: 2pm – 2:30pm

Tuesday 24th September: 1:30pm – 2pm

Thursday 26th September: 11am – 11:30am

Monday 30th September: 1pm – 1:30pm

Wednesday 2nd October: 11:30am – 12pm

Thursday 3rd October: 11am – 11:30am

If you would like to contact us, email archives@soton.ac.uk.

Hope to see you soon!

Wellington Congress 2025

The programme features keynote addresses by Professor Beatrice de Graaf and Dr. Ed Coss, along with a wide range of papers exploring the career of the first Duke of Wellington. Discussions will also delve into the broader historical context of Britain, Ireland, the Empire, and Continental Europe during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There will be a congress dinner on Friday 4 April. A programme for this event is below. Register here to join us for this event. Registration closes on Monday 17 March.

Wellington Congress 2025

Draft Programme

Friday 4 April 2025

09:30-10:00

Registration at Avenue Campus main entrance, including coffee

10:00

Welcome and introduction

1. Plenary session

10:05-11:05 [LT: B]

Professor Beatrice de Graaf

Chair:

Parallel sessions

2A. Session

11:15-12.30

Luke Reynolds

The Iron Duke Behind the Velvet Curtain: Theatrical Representations of the First Duke of Wellington

Ugo Bruschi

‘A mob armed with bludgeons’ and All That: Popular Politics and Wellington’s 1834 Interim Government

Chair:

2B. Session

11:15-12:30

Eamonn O’Keeffe

No Common Man: Searching for Shadrack Byfield, a Veteran of the War of 1812

Paul Thompson

'Wellington's "Drunken Dog": Sir Nicholas Trant (1769–1839)'

Chair:

Lunch

12.30-13:30

Parallel sessions

3A. Session

13:30-14:45

John McAleer

‘A sad copy of a dear epistle’: Life, death and letter-writing in the world of the East India Company

Severine Angers

Cured to Enthusiastic Expectations: Co-Constructing Felicia Hemans’ Experience of the Napoleonic Wars between Home and the Battlefield

Chair:

3B. Session

13:30-14:45

Paul Chamberlain

Villeneuve: The Inconvenient Admiral

Kevin Linch

‘Wellington’s Men?’: insights from the Georgian Army Officers database

Chair:

Tea

14:45-15:15

4. Panel

15:15-17:00

Philip Ball, Rachel Blackman-Rogers, Rory Butcher

Interbranch Relationships within the British Military in the French Revolutionary Wars

Chair: Jacqueline Reiter

5. Film

17:15-18:15

Roy York, Phil Watts, Denis Kenyon

The Battle of Waterloo (1913)

Courtesy of Irthlingborough Historical Society Archives

19:00

Conference dinner

Saturday 5 April 2025

09:00-09:30

Registration at Avenue Campus main entrance, including coffee

09:30

Welcome and introduction

6. Plenary session

09:35-10:35 [LT: B]

Dr Ed Coss

Chair:

Parallel sessions

7A. Session

10:45-12:30

Zack White

Sepoys and the Scum of the Earth: Crime, punishment, and Arthur Wellesley in India 1796-1805

Robin Thomas

‘Zeal and gallantry were conspicuous on all occasions, but could not make up for all deficiencies’: an assessment of the Ordnance Department in the Flanders campaign, 1793-1795.

Martin Howard

Wellington and the British Army's Medical Department in the Peninsular War: A Study of Dispatches

Chair:

7B. Session

10:45-12:30

William Fletcher

Ideas, Networks and Operational Effect: The Influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on the British Army at the turn of the Nineteenth Century

Kyle van Beurden

The Duke of York’s ‘Reform’ of Light Infantry in the 1790s

Andrew Bamford

A Post-Waterloo ‘Lessons-Learned’ Exercise

Chair:

Lunch

12:30-13:30

Parallel sessions

8A. Session

13:30-15:15

Garry Wills

‘Highly Meritorious’ - Another Day in the Retreat from Burgos, 23 October 1812

Alistair Nichols and Philippe Calmettes

The Battle of Orthez, 27 February 1814 – an archaeological discovery

John Peaty

Wellington and Napoleon's Last Victory

Chair:

8B. Session

13:30-15:15

Gareth Glover

Peninsular Preparation? The British deployment in Portugal 1796-1802

Stephen Petty

Crossing the Douro, 12 May 1809: ‘His conduct during this short campaign gives him the first rank among British Generals of the day.’

Anthony Gray

Wellington’s strategy for the defence of Lisbon: the wider impacts of the third French invasion of Portugal 1810-1811

Chair:

Tea

15:15-15:45

9A. Session

15:45-17:00

Magnus Guild

Nationality , Nationalism and Alienation during and after the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Professor Agustín Coletes-Blanco

An English poet’s afterlife in the Spanish Carlist War

Professor Alicia Laspra-Rodríguez

Between Fernando and Carlos: The Spanish Liberal Revolution in the British Press

Chair:

9B. Session

15:45-17:00

Silvia Gregorio-Sainz

‘Not Free, but Licentious’: Wellington’s clash with the Spanish Press during the Peninsular War(s)

Lilly Iwona

The media image of Prince Albert based on selected British press titles and journalism (1840-1861)

Chair

17:10

[LT: B]

Farewells and close of conference