History lecturer has magic touch with ‘Witches of North Wales’ talk
Morgan Ditchburn’s popular lecture has already sold out four times - while she and fellow Coleg Llandrillo lecturer Gemma Campbell have set up North Wales’ first Historical Association branch to make studying the past more accessible for all
Coleg Llandrillo history lecturer Morgan Ditchburn is shining a light on a dark corner of the past with her hugely successful talk, ‘The Witches of North Wales’.
Morgan and colleague Gemma Campbell have set up the Conwy Borough branch of the Historical Association - the first of its kind in North Wales.
The branch is running a series of fascinating talks and events throughout the year, with upcoming topics including The Edwardian Castles of North Wales, The Archbishop John Williams and a guided walk around Conwy Castle.
One of its most popular events so far has been Morgan’s talk on the history of witches and witch trials in the region, which sold out when it was hosted at the college back in February.
Morgan’s lecture has since packed out two venues in Denbigh through her own business, Conwy History, while there are two more dates planned, in Deganwy on May 15, and Ruthin on October 24.
Tickets for a further talk in Conwy on October 17 sold out within 15 hours of going on sale.
‘The Witches of North Wales’ has been so popular that Morgan is now writing a book on the topic - which she says has a wider appeal beyond history lovers.
“With most of my talks I tend to just get people who are interested in history coming, whereas this attracts people with a wide variety of interests such as witchcraft and folklore. So you’re targeting all different kinds of people - so much so that I’m now writing a book on it.
“The talk covers from the Middle Ages up to the 19th century. The first part is about the witch hunts around Europe and Britain in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, then the second part is just what happened in North Wales, and why that’s interesting.”
Morgan teaches A-level History at Coleg Llandrillo’s Rhos-on-Sea and Rhyl campuses, while Gemma teaches English A-level and PGCE.
They set up the Conwy Borough Historical Association Branch, with Gemma as treasurer and Morgan as secretary, in order to make history and historical research more accessible for everyone.
“That’s always been my big thing,” says Morgan. “I just think anyone should be able to come along and enjoy it, find out more and enjoy research into it, because in the past history hasn't been accessible or encouraged to all.”
Topics often include previously overlooked aspects of history that have been uncovered by branch members, including Gemma’s recent exhibition on the pioneering but little-known Ethel Hovey.
Ethel was Colwyn Bay’s first female councillor, Mayor and Justice of the Peace. She also fought for maternity rights, helped establish the town’s first playground, and championed opportunities for women in education, music, and politics at a time when women did not even have the right to vote.
“Despite this, she’s someone who has been forgotten,” says Morgan. “It’s nice to highlight little things that people don’t normally think about.”
Morgan was last year awarded an Associate Fellowship from the Royal Historical Society in recognition of her contribution to the field of history.
She has also been accepted onto the Historical Association’s teacher fellowship programme, which involves researching Henry VIII’s ‘Royal Progresses’ (tours of the kingdom) in order to develop educational resources.
Morgan is treasurer of Deganwy History Group, and offers tours and education workshops as part of Conwy History - all of which complements her work as a History A-level teacher.
She says: “At college we’ve got loads of specialists teaching at A-level. I teach A-levels but I’m also a working historian, so you’ve got the real-world working experience of it as well as the academic side.
“The history course that we do here is diverse - we do cover some topics that students will have covered at GCSE, such as Nazi Germany and the Tudors, but it’s looking at it in much more detail and in a more nuanced way.
“We also learn about the USA and the Cold War - a lot of what we do in that unit is extremely relevant to what’s going on in the world now.”
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s A-level History course develops your understanding of British and European history, giving you the critical skills to examine the past. Learn more here.
For more information on upcoming talks, follow the links to the Conwy Borough Historical Association Branch, Deganwy History Group and Conwy History.