From shoes to slavery: fascinating talks to inform and enjoy at York Georgian Festival
Thu 06 Aug
|York Mansion House
Join us for a fascinating selection of bookable and drop-in talks that have been lined up for this year’s five-day York Georgian Festival programme.
Time & Location
06 Aug 2026, 10:00 – 10 Aug 2026, 17:30
York Mansion House, St. Helen’s Square, York YO1 9QL, UK
About the Event
Blackmail and Scandal at the heart of the Court
Mary Lister was left five volumes of loose letters to her great great-grandmother Theresa Lister/Lewis. Theresa’s father George Villiers was a favourite of George the Third, and her mother, Theresa Villiers, was close friends with the princesses, especially Amelia. Theresa grew up surrounded by suppressed scandal and secrets. There were rumours that she herself was the love child of Princes Amelia and General Fitzroy. Theresa was her favourite ‘adopted’ child or was she?
Who doesn’t love scandals, secrets…and blackmail? The Georgians certainly did! Letters discussed will be from George III, Queen Charlotte, the Prince Regent, George Villiers, Pitt, Princess Amelia and many others.
Mary’s talk will combine scholarship with a sense of fun, illustrated with portraits and scurrilous cartoons.
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