Speaker discusses history of taverns

Boswell

Caroline Boswell will present “Ye Olde Pub: A Social and Cultural History of England’s Early Drinking Houses” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17, at the Waupaca Area Public Library.

Sponsored by Winchester Academy, the program is free and open to the public.

Boswell’s presentation will delve into the rih early history of those temples of British culture: the pubs.

Beyond their charm and antiquity, these centuries-old drinking establishments were historic centers for social and political activity. In medieval and early modern England, alehouses, inns and taverns were vital hubs of sociability, culture and news.

Although drinking houses formed an integral part of the social lives of many English men and women, some feared these “dens of iniquity” bred seditious toasts and songs, subversive speeches against church and state, and lewd behavior.

This talk will guide listeners through the vibrant social lives of England’s historic watering holes from 1400-1800.

Boswell received her bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and both her master’s and doctorate from Brown University. She is currently an associate professor of humanities and European history at UW-Green Bay.

Her teaching and research interests include early modern European history, British and Irish history, Atlantic history, popular politics and political culture, social history and the public and digital humanities.

Cookies and coffee are served at 6 p.m. and the program begins promptly at 6:30 p.m.

Winchester Academy program expenses are funded through sponsors and tax-deductible donations.

Boswell’s program is sponsored by T-Dubs Pub of Waupaca.

For more information about Winchester Academy, check winchesteracademywaupaca.org, follow the group on Facebook, or contact Executive Director Ann Buerger Linden at 715-258-2927 or [email protected]