Teas and Talks: The Black Death in Weymouth with James Farquharson

James Farquharson takes the stage at The Centenary Club on Monday 16 November, as part of Weymouth Museum's Teas and Talks series. The talk runs from 2:30pm to 3:30pm, with doors opening at 2:00pm, so there's plenty of time to get settled before it kicks off.

Farquharson is tackling one of Weymouth's less proud claims to fame: the arrival of the Black Death in England and the town's place in one of the most devastating pandemics in history. He traces it back to the 14th century, looking at how the disease first reached these shores, the conditions that allowed it to spread so rapidly, and the enormous impact it left on communities across the country. It's a heavy subject, but one that puts the town's own history into a much wider, and more sobering, context.

The talk is part of a wider Teas and Talks series running through November, which covers a broad range of local history: the Portland Massacre, the Battle of Trafalgar, Tudor buildings, and wartime memories from around the town. If the Black Death is a bit too grim for your Monday afternoon, there are plenty of other sessions in the line-up to choose from.

There's a bit more to this than just a talk, too. Weymouth Museum has been without its permanent home at Brewer's Quay since the harbourside landmark closed, though volunteers have kept going, preserving and promoting the town's heritage in the meantime. They're now working to raise £200,000 locally to unlock a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of more than £2 million and return to the quay, so every ticket sold goes towards that fundraising. Entry is £3 for Friends of Weymouth Museum members and £4 for non-members.