Dr Stephen Brogan

Easter Customs in Late 17th Century England

Easter Customs in Late 17th Century England: a lecture by Dr Stephen Brogan. This lecture will discuss two important Easter customs of late seventeenth-century England. 

Hastings resident, Dr Stephen Brogan is a Fellow of The Royal Historical Society and a Visiting Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, where he teaches early modern history. He specialises in the political, cultural, intellectual and medical history of Stuart England, including its visual culture. His book The Royal Touch in Early Modern England: Politics, Medicine and Sin was published in 2015 by The Royal Historical Society with Boydell and Brewer Ltd. He is currently working on mercy, forgiveness and wellbeing in 17th-century England.

Some rituals dating back to the 17th century include:

On Maundy Thursday the king washed the feet of the poor.

On the next day, Good Friday, the king then touched people who were ill with scrofula, at a special ceremony structured around prayers, in order to try and cure them.

Both of these rituals were re-enactments of parts of the life of Jesus Christ.

This lecture will look at the relationship between religion and medicine in late seventeenth-century England. Please note: this is a history lecture that will examine religion, it is not a religious event.

Easter Customs in Late 17th Century England, Good Friday, 30 March 2018. Lecture 7 – 8 p.m, followed by half an hour of questions and discussion. Café Grand Rue de Péra, 73-74 Queens Road, Hastings, TN34 1RL. The café will be open for great coffee and snacks.

Stephen Brogan in History Today.

Also in: Hastings People