Exploring the Treasures of Castle Howard: An Evening with Dr. Christopher Ridgway, Curator

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Exploring the Treasures of Castle Howard: An Evening with Dr. Christopher Ridgway, Curator 
Presented by Dr. Christopher Ridgway, Curator Castle Howard 
NEHGS, 99-101 Newbury Street, Boston  
6:00 PM–7:30 PM Cost: $30; A light reception will precede the lecture from 6:00-6:30 


Dr. Christopher Ridgway, curator at Castle Howard, will be speaking about the stately English country house in North Yorkshire whose construction began in 1699, and has, for more than 300 years, been the private residence of the descendants of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk. Castle Howard is one of Britain’s finest historic houses and gardens, and it has appeared in many television programs and films including Brideshead Revisited. 

Among the treasures of Castle Howard that Dr. Ridgway will speak about is the Morpeth Roll, a unique document, more than 1,370 feet long, comprised of 652 pieces of paper containing the signatures of over 160,000 people across Ireland in 1841. It was a parting gift for George Howard, Viscount Morpeth, when he left his post as Chief Secretary for Ireland. The Morpeth Roll is a genealogical gem that contains information that predates the Great Famine and substitutes for Irish censuses lost to the civil war.