The Spirit of 17th Century Bridport: Ale Houses and Puritan-Bashing
‘Performed libel’ was a way of intimidating people: verses mocking a particular group (in this case the Puritans) were read or sung, both in private and in public spaces. In seventeenth century England, as tensions between rival religious groups ran high, such ‘performances’ could easily end in litigation.
Five cases of this libel are recorded from Dorset between 1608 and 1620. Fredi Teale, a researcher in Early Modern History at the University of Southampton, will be discussing in detail a case from Bridport which was heard in the Court of Star Chamber in 1614. The scurrilous verses were read out in the town’s main shopping area and sung in its ale houses. The case is both typical of performed libel across the country at this time and very specific to the people of Bridport. Religious, economic and personal clashes all contributed their share and Ms Teale has the dirt on everybody concerned.
Of the five cases from Dorset all but one refer to the verses as being sung. Ms Teale will explore why singing was a favourite method for spreading these rumours. She will refer to other social tensions that may have played a part and she will put the Bridport case in its national context.
Fredrica Teale originally trained as an archaeologist at Durham University, but left academia to work as a singer for several years. She is currently a postgraduate student at the University of Southampton, studying Medieval and Renaissance Culture, specialising in performance culture.
‘what loneliness/ to be blind in broad daylight-/and deaf, what loneliness/ when the song’s in full swing.’
The Spirit of Seventeenth Century Bridport: Ale Houses and Puritan-Bashing
The 37th LECTURE ON EVERYTHING (part of the Festival of Culture)
Thursday 23rd August, 3pm, Hayloft (Bull Hotel), Bridport, £6
(tel. 07833 795 629)
