Last week saw the annual Chalke History Festival, held at Broad Chalke, Wiltshire (22-28 June). The Royal Historical Society took part in two events on 23 June in line with its work to demonstrate the connections between academic research — undertaken by specialist historians within higher education — and more popular forms of history, including festival and talks.
The first event comprised two lively and fascinating panel discussions, organised and supported by the Society and the Institute of Historical Research, which highlighted the value and importance of history.
Both discussions saw the historians Sarah Churchwell and Nicholas Guyatt joined by journalists Anne Applebaum and James Naughtie to discuss American history and politics since 1776. The first panel, ‘The Continuing Revolution’, chaired by Claire Langhamer (Director of the Institute of Historical Research) traced a historical arc from the Declaration of Independence to the challenges of the current moment to ask, ‘what comes next for American democracy?’
The second America 250 panel, chaired by the RHS President Lucy Noakes, focused on the issue of who gets to be American, a question that has been at the heart of the ‘American project’ since 1776. Large and enthusiastic audiences were keen to engage with the questions raised in these two excellent discussions. As historical arguments resurface with renewed urgency, these discussions demonstrate once again just how vital an understanding of history is in today’s contested political worlds.
A second RHS / IHR sponsored event, with Dr Charlotte Gauthier (Royal Holloway, University of London), explored ‘The Cardinal’s Spies: Wolsey, Henry VIII and the Race to Save Christendom’. Earlier this year, Charlotte was the winner of ‘Pitch my Project’, a new programme organised by the Society and IHR to encourage and prepare academic historians to develop their research for presentation to wider audiences in the form of festival talks.
As the winner, Charlotte received mentoring in public presentations and the chance to speak about the Cardinal’s spies to an audience at Chalke History Festival.
Both RHS supported sessions played to large and very appreciative audiences. Writing after her talk, Charlotte summarised the experience of taking her work to new audiences as follows:
I was delighted to take part in the 2026 Chalke Festival. The tent was full to overflowing for my talk on ‘The Cardinal’s Spies: Wolsey, Henry VIII, and the Race to Save Christendom, 1526-27’.
It was a joy to see such a large and highly engaged audience drawn from all walks of life, and to enjoy a lively and illuminating Q&A with numerous very thoughtful questions from attendees. Judging by the long queue of people coming to greet me and ask additional questions afterwards, the talk certainly tapped into people’s interests.
This is the beauty of communicating scholarly research to a wider audience: there is a real hunger for new and interesting stories, told in a compelling way. As an historian, it’s refreshing to be able to explore and communicate aspects of my research that wouldn’t be suitable to a more academic setting. I hope to attend Chalke again in future.
HEADER IMAGE: Society President Lucy Noakes (right) in conversation with panellists (left to right): Anne Applebaum, Sarah Churchwell, James Naughtie and Nicholas Guyatt.
SECOND IMAGE: Charlotte Gauthier presents on ‘The Cardinal’s Spies: Wolsey, Henry VIII and the Race to Save Christendom’.