Monthly Meeting at the Assembly Rooms on North Street – 20th March at 2pm

Life is a Lottery – Story of Mary Russell Mitford

This is the story of Mary Russell Mitford (1787 – 1855) who became a successful author, dramatist, poet and renowned prolific letter writer.  She is best remembered today for ‘Our Village’, a series of essays describing village life, written from her tiny workers cottage where Mary lived with her mother and father after he had recklessly gambled and spent his way through two large fortunes, and despite constant family struggles to deal her father’s wayward behaviour, she still managed to achieve literary success and popularity. 

Our speaker, Nigel Gossop, has been a book collector, researcher and keen writer for more than forty years.  During his time working as a local authority arts-officer he organised several literature festivals that developed his interest in literature and fired an enthusiasm for learning about the lives and works of ‘forgotten’ and lesser-known authors. 

Tea and coffee will be served from 1.15 pm until 1.45 pm and the talk will start at 2pm.