| Are you an Individual or represent an Organisation / Company? | Individual |
| Website | |
| Email | Email |
| Telephone / Mobile Number | 07999 200704 |
| Would you be able to present In Person, via Zoom or either? | In Person only |
| What equipment do you need to be provided by hosts? eg Screen, laptop, projector | All equipment provided |
| Any travel restrictions? Such as Time or Distance | None |
| What are the charges? Such as Travel Expenses, Charge for talk. | £40 + 20p/mile travel from Kempston |
| Speaker's Biography | My name is David Longman and I am a retired teacher and keen photographer. In 2017 I began a project to photograph all of the parish churches in Bedfordshire. As I visited the churches I became aware of the social history that they contained and became particularly interested in people buried in the church or churchyard, the local stories and legends associated and also the background to some of the saints to which the churches are dedicated. Over time I have amassed a range of such stories which I feel are of interest to a wider audience and which should not be lost. In that sense I consider myself more as a storyteller rather than as an architectural expert or an adviser on ecclesiastical matters! All talks are fully illustrated - mainly by my own photographs. |
| Talk | Duration | Summary |
| The Admiral, The Rector And Long John Silver | 45 - 60 mins | Amongst many other things, this first talk reveals the starting and finishing post of the first English Grand National; the death of Admiral Byng of Southill, executed by firing squad for failing to do his utmost; Rev Dr Edward Drax Free – arguably the worst rector in the history of Bedfordshire - and Long John Silver – the famous pirate – whose ashes are scattered at Cockayne Hatley. |
| Miracles, Wonders And A Broken Heart | 45 - 60 mins | Continuing from The Admiral, The Rector and Long John Silver, the second talk includes the Keysoe Miracle involving William Dickens’ fall from Keysoe church steeple, Eilward Of Westoning and his miraculous recovery from castration and Alice Anderson’s touching memorial on which she records how her heart is forever entombed with her dead husband – four years before she re-married! |
| Poor Nell And The Marshall Of Hadleyville | 45 - 60 mins | The third chapter from Tales From Bedfordshire Churches includes more from the rich tapestry of facts, fiction and legends from Bedfordshire includes medieval wall carvings in Leighton Buzzard, a cowboy story from Houghton Regis and the author of one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature. |
