The Devon History Society AGM and Book Awards will be followed by a talk from David Holland, ‘The Exeter Conspiracy’ through the eyes of Hilary Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell.
David Holland – Founder of the Wolf Hall Weekend – June 22/23, 2024 at Cadhay House, Ottery St Mary, East Devon.
‘In time I understood one thing – that you don’t become a novelist to become a spinner of entertaining lies. You become a novelist so you can tell the truth.’ Hilary Mantel
Diarmaid MacCulloch has praised Mantel for the rigor of her historical research when writing her Wolf Hall Trilogy and yet both he and she were at pains to explain that the end result was fiction – albeit set as accurately as possible in a moment of dramatic English History. The trilogy and its adaptions for stage and TV have gained Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell popular attention and one question a historian may ask is, what role does fiction play in our reconstruction of the past? To consider this question, we will examine the recorded history of ‘The Exeter Conspiracy’ and compare it with Mantel’s retelling in The Mirror and the Light; while also looking at its impact on Devon during the period of Henry VIII’s reign. (A TV adaption of The Mirror and the Light is currently in production for the BBC.)
David Holland is the founder of the upcoming Wolf Hall Weekend to be held at Cadhay House, East Devon, on June 22/23 next year (2024) – a tribute to the late Dame Hilary Mantel and her Wolf Hall Trilogy. David studied History and Education at Leicester University and taught in Dorset and Surrey before entering his career in publishing with HarperCollins. He is now a writer and event creator. He lives in Wells, Somerset.
Rougemont Room, Exeter Library.
The talk is free to DHS members, who are required book a place, £4.00 for non-members and a 50% discount applies to affiliated group members.
Please see here to book 
Papers for the AGM can be downloaded by clicking the links below.
DHS Trustees’ Annual Report 2023