Events
Friday
27
NOV
2026
Ely Book Talk and Tea with Charles Moseley
12:00pm – Ely Museum, The Old Gaol, Market Street, Ely, CB7 4LS
Join us for an afternoon of stories, history and tea in the city of Ely with Charles Moseley.
After Charles Moseley's popular talk about his book on St Etheldreda a few years ago, he's back with a new book on Hereward the Wake, an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and leader of local resistance to the Norman Conquest of England.
Spend the afternoon with Charles and members of the college, discovering the story of Hereward in the city that was his base of resistance. Starting at midday, Charles will speak on the mayhem and myth that surrounds Hereward at Ely Museum from 12.00pm.
We’ll convene again at 2.30pm at the 13th-century Almonry Kitchen, in the cathedral grounds, where we’ll continue the conversation over a sumptuous afternoon tea.
For those that wish to join, we’ll close the afternoon with evensong in the cathedral, one of the architectural wonders of the medieval world.
Between the talk and afternoon tea, you’ll have some time to explore the museum’s collections or the delights of the city, including the cathedral, Toppings bookshop or the riverside antiques emporium.
Here's what Charles says about the book:
'We know virtually nothing for certain about Hereward, later surnamed 'the Wake'. But for a couple of years after William the Bastard won at Hastings - and nearly did not - Hereward gave him a good few sleepless nights. The resistance he helped lead, based on the almost impregnable Isle of Ely, might even have succeeded had the Danes not been bought off by a bribe from William. Hereward escaped and nobody knows what happened to him.
But of such a man stories can be made, and many were, from (probably) an Old English heroic poem to a hugely influential nineteenth century novel, and many modern iterations in various media down to our own day - and he gives his name to pubs, schools, a long-distance footpath and care homes.'
Join us for a fascinating exploration of Hereward: Mayhem, Man, Myth.
About Charles
Dr Charles Moseley FSA FEA taught medieval and renaissance literature at the University of Cambridge for many years, as College Lecturer at Magdalene College, Director of Studies and Fellow at Wolfson College, and Senior Tutor and Director of Studies at Hughes Hall. He is an accomplished lecturer and public speaker, and is the author of books including To the Eel Island: An Evening Journey, Etheldreda’s World: Princess Abbess Saint and To Everything a Season: A View from the Fen.
Charles is the husband of Rosanna Moseley Gore (1979), Emmanuel Society committee member, and a friend of the college, having given talks for members on a range of subject over several years.
How to book
The cost for the full day, including afternoon tea, is £33 per person. If you are able to join only for the talk, the cost is £8, which includes a year of return entry to the Ely Museum.
Copies of Charles's book will be available to purchase.