Public engagement
Details of media content and work for schools by the Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers project team.
Last revised 7 February 2024.
Broadcasts
2023
- Sophie Coulombeau. Contributor to Free Thinking: Queen Charlotte, Fashion and Music, BBC Radio 3, 25 April 2023. [SC discusses Mary Hamilton's life at the Court of George III.]
- Sophie Coulombeau. A Powerful Crush: A harmless teenage crush or a case of 18th-century sexual harassment?, BBC Radio 3, Sunday Feature. 2 July 2023. [SC re-examines the relationship between a young George IV and his sisters’ governess.]
2022
- Sophie Coulombeau. Contributor to Free Thinking: Bridgerton and Georgian Entertainment, BBC Radio 3, 5 April 2022. [SC discusses what Mary Hamilton did for entertainment – including a visit to the Mechanical Turk.]
Press
2023
- Rhiannon du Cann, ‘Unearthed letters from George IV to Mary Hamilton would have caused outrage in the Me Too era’, Express, 16 May 2023.
2021
- Jack Hardy, ‘George IV ‘sexual harassment’ of teenage crush revealed in letters’, The Daily Telegraph, 26 March 2021.
- Mark Bridge, ‘George IV emotionally abused his teenage crush’, The Times, 26 March 2021.
- Rebecca Cope, ‘The dark side of King George IV's teenage crush revealed’, Tatler, 29 March 2021.
- Mike Laycock, ‘York study into Royal's love letters with governess’, York Press, 8 March 2021.
Schools materials
In collaboration with educational consultant Lucy Toop and David Caunce of Manchester-based graphic design agency Imagine, the project team has produced a set of classroom resources about the correspondence between Mary Hamilton and the future George IV. These resources aim:
- to support teachers of students studying English Language and Literature at GCSE and A-level by offering students enhanced insights into eighteenth-century language, courtship, letters and society
- to generate reflection and conversation within the classroom about gender, power and language in the workplace
- to open the door for school visits and workshops from a member of the project team, who can offer students a taste of university-level study and give them an insight into the research process that enabled a reassessment of the relationship between Mary and George.
The materials will be rolled out over 2024, with support from a generous grant from the University of York's Impact Priming Fund. Watch this space for more details!