This workshop is for pupils studying history at KS3 and explores the English Civil War in a local context.
The session will start with a visit to the Portland Collection Museum where the students will learn about William Cavendish, the ‘Cavalier Duke’, who supported Charles I during the civil war. Pupils will also learn about his daughter, Lady Jane Cavendish, who had to defend Welbeck Abbey from Parliamentarian forces after her father fled into exile. During their visit, students will see some famous artefacts linked to the royalist cause, including a portrait of Charles II as a young prince wearing a full suit of armour, and the pearl earing Charles I was wearing when he was beheaded.
Pupils will consider the reasons why these artefacts were both created and protected by royalists, and their hidden messages.
After this, students will take part in an engaging workshop in our purpose-built education studio.
Pupils will consider the Civil War from both royalist and parliamentarian perspectives, and above all, the impact the conflict had on the people of Welbeck. They will then take part in a debate and at the end of the session, will vote on whether Charles I deserved to face the executioner’s block.
By participating in this workshop, pupils will learn how to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop their own perspective and judgement. By participating in this workshop, pupils will also better understand the local lived experience of the Civil War.
