William Hone Memorial Lecture : Comedy and Caricature in Georgian England

William Hone was an early nineteenth century satirist who famously faced a three-day show trial in 1817. 

It was so dramatic that Ian Hislop wrote a play about it. But Georgian satire was so robust that it can put even Private Eye in the shade!

Hone was a big name in his day, and has since been described as one of the "fathers of modern media". Hone's illustrator George Cruikshank and the world-famous author Charles Dickens attended Hone's funeral at Abney in 1842.

This inaugural William Hone Memorial Lecture and walking tour will discuss Hone's career, his trial and show some of Cruikshank's savage cartoons.

About the speaker:

Alan Gartrell has given tours of Abney Park for many years now. His topics cover a huge range from the history of Hackney's MPs to Abney Park's missionary links. He very modestly says he is not a historian, just a few clicks ahead of everyone else on Wikipedia.

From the High Street entrance, please meet at the far end of the pedestrian walkway – where the path splits into three. 

Sometimes, Abney Park closes (or we have to cancel planned events) at short notice due to adverse weather conditions. If events are cancelled or the Park is closed, we'll let you know. Please check your emails and the Abney Park website (abneypark.org) mid-morning on the day of the event to get this info.