This public event is taking place on Saturday 15 July 2023 at Wentworth Castle in South Yorkshire. It will see a formal unveiling of the blue plaque and accompanying talks to celebrate the achievements of medical pioneer, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This plaque has recently been placed on the Long Barn at Wentworth Castle Gardens to celebrate the achievements of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Lady Mary pioneered the prevention of severe illness and death due to smallpox in Britain by introducing the practice of inoculation in 1721, some seventy years before Edward Jenner began vaccination against this disease.
The plaque has been installed with support from the Royal Society of Biology and the British Society for Immunology. The association of Lady Mary with Wentworth Castle Gardens relates to the Sun monument, which has commemorated her achievements here since about 1762. The Gardens are now run by the National Trust, in partnership with Northern College who occupy the mansion house, and Barnsley Museums.
The event will include talks from historians and immunologists, as well as refreshments and an optional tour of the National Trust site gardens.
Programme
13:00 Registration and refreshments
13:30 Welcome, Dr Lynda Partridge, RSB Yorkshire branch
13:35 Talk - Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Medical Pioneer, Jenny Rudd, History Guide
14:15 Talk - Current progress on vaccines, Dr Sarah Haywood-Small, Sheffield Hallam University
15:00 Blue plaque unveiling, Long Barn, Wentworth Castle Gardens
15:10 Closing remarks
15:15 Optional tour of the National Trust site
15:30 Event close
Registration
Registration is now open via the Royal Society of Biology website. This is a public event and is open to all. It costs £2.50 per person to attend. Unwaged guests may attend for free, and can select this option upon booking.
Continuing Professional Development
This event is approved by the Royal Society of Biology for purposes of CPD and can be counted as 3 CPD points.
Contact
For specific event queries, please contact Dr Lynda Partridge at l.partridge@sheffield.ac.uk. For booking or website queries, please contact Harriet McAra at regions@rsb.org.uk or on 020 3925 3445.