Friday Talk: St Leonard’s Chapel and Leprosy in Medieval England

Our April talk will be given by Teddy Wilson, an early career historian from Shillingstone who studied at the University of York and is now a member of the archive and research teams at Blandford Town Museum.

The first part of Teddy’s talk will explore medieval ideas about leprosy, and the experience of being a leper in the period in which the hospital was active. It will discuss how medieval people understood leprosy, and how its unusual etiology and history put lepers into a unique social position. The second part will give an overview of the present state of research about the chapel, and the work currently being undertaken by the research group at the museum.

Teddy specialises in medieval death culture, and literary representations of belief in the supernatural. They have also worked on medical history and the politics of charity and care in medieval Europe.

Refreshments will be available from 7 pm, and the talk will start at 7.30 pm and finish at around 9 pm.

Admission £6 (free to Friends and Patrons of the Museum)

We have a variety of talks about our history and heritage from a range of expert speakers lined up for Spring and Autumn 2025. These will take place on Fridays (usually, but not always, the last Friday of the month) at the Parish Centre in Blandford. Please visit our Calendar for information about future talks.