The Politics of Flooding in Early Modern England

19.05.2026 | Vortrag | DHI London | online + vor Ort

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM BST / 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CEST

John Morgan (University of Bristol)

The early modern centuries featured some of the most significant and destructive floods in English history. Large events such as the 1570 flooding of eastern England and the 1607 south-west floods killed people and livestock, destroyed buildings, and generated spiritual reflection and reforming zeal. However, alongside these dramatic moments of disaster, many English communities lived with and alongside recurrent flooding, harnessing its benefits for their livelihoods. This lecture explores how flooding at various scales became politically significant as changing economic, legal, and constitutional contexts made the management of flooding a problem of growing importance.

John Emrys Morgan is a Senior Lecturer in geography at the University of Bristol. He received his PhD in history from the University of Warwick in 2016, and has published on a wide range of topics in the environmental history of early modern England, including flooding, great fires, water management, and human relationships with pigeons.

This lecture will take place as a hybrid event at the GHIL and online via Zoom. In order to attend this event, please register via Eventbrite to take part in person or online.


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