AGM 2026

The 2026 AGM will be held at Lotherton Hall, Leeds, LS25 3EB

Talk to be given by Dr Jemima Hubberstey ‘Unearthing Gardens in the Archive’

This talk will examine women's engagement with garden design and landscape aesthetics in the eighteenth century, focusing on the letters written by the women of the ‘Wrest Circle’ – a literary circle that centred on Jemima Marchioness Grey (née Campbell) (1722-1797) at her ancestral home of Wrest Park in Bedfordshire. This talk will examine women's engagement with garden design and landscape aesthetics in the eighteenth century, focusing on the letters written by the women of the ‘Wrest Circle’ – a literary circle that centred on Jemima Marchioness Grey (née Campbell) (1722-1797) at her ancestral home of Wrest Park in Bedfordshire. The women within this circle – Catherine Talbot (1721-1770), Elizabeth Anson (née Yorke) (1725-1760), Mary Gregory (née Grey) (1719-1761), and Mary Forbes (née Capell) (1722-1783) – shared not only a love of literature, but also a keen interest in gardens. Their letters are full of lively discussions and debates about their own gardens and those that they visited. Historical scholarship has usually focused on women’s limited or marginal engagement with gardens in this period, but this talk will demonstrate that, by returning to the letters in the archive, there is clear evidence that these women found their own ways to engage with gardens and share in the enjoyment together.

Jemima completed her PhD in 2021, which was an AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award with English Heritage and the University of Oxford, examining the connection between literary coteries and garden design in the mid-eighteenth century. She subsequently held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford, researching elite women and the intellectual life of the country house. She also worked on a Knowledge Exchange Fellowship between the University of Oxford, English Heritage, and the National Trust, which explored the literary and garden connections between Wrest Park and Wimpole Hall. Since 2024, she has worked in the research team at Historic Royal Palaces.

After lunch on our guided walk, we will learn more of Mrs Gascoigne’s Edwardian Garden and how it’s being cared for today. Lotherton Hall is on the Historic England Register of Historic Parks and Gardens at Grade II.

Please have stout footwear and waterproof clothing in case the weather is wet for the afternoon guided walk.

This event can be booked by either:

1. online at eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/organizations/events
2. completion of the booking form sent to members which can be returned by email (events@yorkshiregardenstrust.org.uk) and a BACS transfer to Yorkshire Gardens Trust (sort code 05-09-94, account number 25555237) using your 'Events' and your name as reference, or
3. completion of the booking form sent to members which can be returned by post to: The Events Secretary, 5 Belle Vue Terrace, Bellerby, DL8 5QL and including a cheque payable to Yorkshire Gardens Trust

Joining details will be sent out one week before the event.