The Historical Association: From Resignation to Resistance: the Role of Popular Music in Remembering and Revering the Isle of Wight's Royal Exiles

This history lecture is delivered by Dr Angela McShane, Honorary Reader in History at the University of Warwick. She is a social and cultural historian whose research interests include broadside ballads, the cultural history of intoxicants, and the material culture of everyday life.

The talk explores how popular music and the ballad tradition have helped shape memory of the Isle of Wight’s royal exiles. It focuses on the island’s role in holding Charles I captive, alongside his daughter Princess Elizabeth, during the English Civil War, using music and memory to examine how historical events are remembered and retold.

The event is a branch lecture held in Newport and is suitable for anyone interested in history, culture and the ways songs and stories preserve political memory. Students are especially welcomed through the discounted admission arrangement, alongside members of the Historical Association.