NEWS & EVENTS
Charles Spencer in Bath
Lord Spencer discuss his seventh and latest book The White Ship which sank near the Normandy coast on 25 November 1120. Amongst the dead was William Adelin, the only legitimate son and heir of Henry I. His death led to a crisis of succession and a period of bloody civil war know as the Anarchy.
Monday 30th November
Doors open – 6:30 pm
Start time – 8:00 pm
Christ Church, Julian Road, Bath, BA1 2RH
Signed Book and Ticket £25
Bring a friend £7
Charles Spencer – The White Ship
Lord Spencer’s seventh and latest book The White Ship evokes the harsh and brutal story of a dead heir, a civil war of untold violence and a game of thrones which saw families turned in on each other and how the course of British history changed overnight
Stratford Play House
Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6LU
Friday 20th November 2020
6 pm – 7 pm
Live venue event £12
Live event viewable online £5
Charles Spencer in Ely
Lord Spencer discuss his seventh and latest book The White Ship which sank near the Normandy coast on 25 November 1120. Amongst the dead was William Adelin, the only legitimate son and heir of Henry I. His death led to a crisis of succession and a period of bloody civil war know as the Anarchy.
Thursday 12th November
Doors open – 7:10 pm
Start time – 7:30 pm
St Mary’s Church, St Mary’s Street, Ely, CB7 4HF
Signed Book and Ticket £25
Bring a friend £7
Charles Spencer in conversation
Lord Spencer is discussing The White Ship, his seventh and latest book with Sally Laverack .
The tragedy that led to decades of civil war, untold violence, rebellion and the collapse of Henry I’s legacy of stability and wealth, which changed English history for ever.
Thursday 5th November 2020
4:30 pm
Bridport Electric Palace
35 South Street, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3NY
Entry ticket £12
Wells Festival of Literature
Lord Spencer will be discussing his latest book The White Ship – conquest, anarchy and the wrecking of Henry I’s dream.
This thrilling story, written to mark the 900th anniversary of one of the greatest maritime disasters in English history, describes how the fastest ship afloat sank, taking with it the only legitimate heir to King Henry 1.
Thursday 22 October 2020
6 pm – 7 pm
Cedars Hall, The Liberty, Wells, BA5 2ST
Entry ticket £10, Students £6
Daily Telegraph: Great Estates
The Spencers have been in public life since the 16th century, when Sir John Spencer was knighted by Henry VIII. Lord Spencer, the 19th generation of his family at Althorp, considers his position.
“When I took over, I walked through the saloon, which is hung with family portraits going back 500 years. It was like walking across the stage with an audience. I thought, My goodness, it’s my turn to do something with the place.”


The Independent: ‘Killers of the King’
“This is a thrilling tale of pursuit and resistance and it is based on deep original archival research. It is a credit to Spencer’s skill that he both creates a vivid and enlightening picture of the age – a fevered time of denunciation and reprisal – and draws out the touching moments of human drama and sentiment from the stories of imprisonment and execution.”
The Telegraph: ‘Killers of the King’
“When I was writing my most recent book, Killers of the King, I noticed a portrait hanging in a row of other men in armour that I’d never looked closely at before. It turned out he was Lord Grey of Groby, one of the killers of Charles I and a central character in my book. I never even knew he was there, let alone that I was related to him.”
