Painting of the Temple of Hathor, Dendera
As a best-selling novelist, and a bold and witty travel writer, Amelia Edwards was a household name.
At age 50, inspired by a Nile journey from Cairo to Upper Egypt, she embarked on a new career to promote archaeology and conservation. She co-founded the Egypt Exploration Fund and packed lecture halls on both sides of the Atlantic. She brought to vivid life the bygone world of Ancient Egypt; often using her talks to subtly promote women’s rights.
Amelia Edwards in 1890
(Wikimedia)
Edwards lived for 27 years in Westbury-on-Trym, with her friend Ellen Braysher. A committed feminist, she was vice-president of the Bristol and West of England Society for Women’s Suffrage. At some time in the 1860s, she secretly married her lover Ellen Byrne in Horfield church, with the blessing – literally – of Ellen’s clergyman husband, who conducted the marriage ceremony.
A free online talk will be held over Zoom. The talk will be given by Dr Margaret Jones. Margaret’s new book about Amelia Edwards, Lady of the Nile, has recently been accepted for publication by Bloomsbury.
Thursday 16 September 2021, 6pm to 7:30pm
Registration is required – book your place through Bristol Museums. Bookings close at 2pm on Thursday 16 September.
This is a UWE Regional History Centre talk in partnership with M Shed seminar series.
Read this article by Jonathan Rowe about Amelia Edwards and her life in Bristol.