What’s On.

Creative Writing Workshops: 16-18 Year Olds

15 January – 12 February
Weekly Thursdays, 4.30pm – 6pm
Free, booking essential

As part of the Chippenham- Our History festival, join us at Chippenham Museum as we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of local antiquarian and inventor of the biography, John Aubrey. Open to young people aged 16-18, these free workshops offer the chance to develop your writing skills and see your work in print.

Aubrey was an archaeologist, scientist, and historian who, from a young age, collected stories and local legends from people across Wiltshire. He used these to create a series of mini-biographies collectively known as Brief Lives.

Inspired by Aubrey’s work, participants will use the museum’s collection of portraits, taken by local photographers in the 1900s, as creative prompts to write their own ‘brief life’ for these anonymous figures.

An experienced writer will lead the workshops, helping young people develop their skills and explore new writing forms and genres, including:

• Poetry and lyric writing

• Dramatic monologues and short scripts

• Short stories and flash fiction

The project is supported by the Friends of Chippenham Museum and will conclude with a special celebration of the work produced, including a printed publication.

These workshops are free, but spaces are limited, so booking is essential. Please contact the museum to reserve your place.

Chippenham Library Talk: Agnes Myles & The Murder by Witchcraft of William Bayntun

Thursday 4 June, 7.15
Free, booking essential

In 1563 a witchcraft act was passed by the English parliament. It formed the legal basis for all English witchcraft trials. In early 1564, a baby, William Bayntun died in north Wiltshire, allegedly murdered by witchcraft. Three legal cases followed, and three women were implicated in the murder plot — a local widow, Agnes Mylles from Stanley near Chippenham, the child’s aunt, Dorothy Bayntun, and his mother, Agnes Bayntun, a cousin to Queen Elizabeth I. The three were accused by a fourth woman, a witchfinder. The cases had dreadful consequences for almost all the protagonists, leading to imprisonment, torture, and ultimately the execution of Agnes Mylles, the first recorded person to be executed in England for the crime of witchcraft. This is a tragic tale of toxic family relationships played out in the Chippenham area against the backdrop of the Tudor Reformation.

Talk by Louise Ryland-Epton as part of the Chippenham- Our History festival.

To book please contact Chippenham Library by phone (01249 650536) or in person.

The Power of the Particular: Brief Lives Creative Writing Workshops

Monthly, February – September
First Wednesday of the month, 7pm – 9pm
£5 per session, booking essential

Join the Chippenham Museum Creative Writing Group for a series of linked workshops celebrating the 400th anniversary of the birth of local antiquarian and inventor of the biography, John Aubrey. Part of the Chippenham- Our History festival, the workshops will be led by Lesley Taylor, an experienced facilitator, and will draw inspiration from Aubrey’s work and the museum’s summer exhibition.

Born in Kington St Michael in 1626, Aubrey was a biographer, archaeologist, scientist, naturalist, and oral historian. He valued the minutiae of everyday life, and his writing is rich with specific (and often witty) details that bring the past to life.

Drawing on his most well-known work, Brief Lives – written portraits of key figures of his day – the workshops will explore how to write with greater detail. Sessions will provide an opportunity to develop the skill of telling your own stories with clarity, experimenting with a range of forms including flash fiction, memoir, poetry, and creative non-fiction.

Suitable for beginners and experienced writers alike, this series of monthly workshops will culminate in An Evening with Aubrey at the museum, where participants’ work will be shared and celebrated. The date for this celebratory event is to be confirmed.

Each session costs £5 per person. Spaces are limited, so booking is essential. Please contact the museum to reserve your place.

Chippenham Library Talk: Edward Newall Tuck

Thursday 14 May, 7.15
Free, booking essential

If asked to name a significant person in the modern history of Chippenham, most wouldn’t think of Edward Newall Tuck. A Goldney, an Awdry, a Neeld or even (most deservedly so) John Coles. But why not Tuck? Why has this man been overlooked? Yes, his name may pop up occasionally in books about our town, especially if one was to read about the history of education here, but he was much more than a headmaster (as if that wasn’t enough!). He was involved in almost every aspect of town life for more than half a century. The list of responsibilities Tuck held was extensive, if not potentially super human. He devoted so much of his time to the pursuit of improvement and progress.

In this talk for the Chippenham- Our History festival historian Chris Dallimore discusses why Edward Newall Tuck should be celebrated for his contribution to Chippenham and to the county of Wiltshire.

To book please contact Chippenham Library by phone (01249 650536) or in person.