Can't Let You Go: Historic Keepsakes of the Dead

Newcastle Castle

Available to 21 May 2022

Up to 5% discount with promo code DAYSOUT

What else is on at Newcastle Castle?

Remembering the dead

What does Percy Shelley's heart have in common with Napoleon's penis, Captain George Homes' leg, Alexander Hamilton's hair, and the body of an eighteenth-century prostitute?

on the 21st of May, enter the murky world of 18th and 19th century keepsakes of the dead.

This is where human bodies (or parts of them!) would be kept not for science, but for remembrance, from intricate hair jewellery to book covers made from the skin of the executed.

Additionally, you'll get the chance to look at the trend of Victorian death photography from its rise to its fall.

Your host, Jo "the historymonger" Bath is a Doctor of crime but is equally at home in all periods of history, as long as she gets to mess around with the gory, sexy, spooky, wild, weird or wonderful bits of it.

Teaching history to all who stay still long enough to listen not just in person but also online, rest assured this will be a fascinating tour for your curious mind.

Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes

The Black Gate,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
Tyne and Wear NE1 1RQ
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