The next lecture in the UCM History & Heritage public lecture series will take place on Wednesday 5th April. The lecture be given by Dr Jennifer Kewley Draskau who will be speaking about the remarkable life of Charlotte de la Tremoille, the Countess of Derby.

During the English Civil War, the Parliamentarians claimed that three women ruined the kingdom: Eve, the fount of temptation and evil; Queen Henrietta Maria, wilful, volatile, Catholic, and also French; and the Countess of Derby, staunch, resolute and fearless.

When Cromwell’s forces besieged her home at Lathom, Lady Derby put up such resistance that her enemies denounced her as ‘the Great Whore of Babylon.’

But who was Charlotte, descendant of crusaders, assassinated statesmen, and nuns?

On the Isle of Man, other questions remain: How far did Lady Derby’s attitude add fuel to the patriotic flames of the 1651 Manx Rising, led by Illiam Dhone and others? And did she later vengefully pursue Illiam Dhone, resulting in his death by firing squad in 1663?

Dr Kewley Draskau’s lecture will explore all of these questions and more. ‘The Great Whore of Babylon’: Charlotte de la Tremoille, Countess of Derby will take place in the Lecture Theatre at Elmwood House (behind the St John Ambulance Centre, off Glencrutchery Road) at 6pm on Wednesday 5th April. All are welcome, and no booking is required.

Further details about the History & Heritage lecture series, together with videos of previous lectures, can be found online at catrionamackie.net/lectures/.

Dr Kewley Draskau is Senior Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool. She is the author of Illiam Dhone – Patriot or Traitor? (Profile Books, 2012) and The Tudor Rose, an account of the life of Princess Mary Rose Tudor, sister of Henry VIII and ancestress of James, 7th Earl of Derby (The History Press, 2013). She is currently working on a life of Lady Derby.

Photo - Charlotte de la Tremoille, The Countess of Derby (courtesy of MNH, Ref. P.0721).