THE SCAPEGOAT - The Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham

A talk by prize-winning author, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, followed by a drinks reception On Wednesday 14th October at 6pm, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize, the Duff Cooper Prize and the Costa Biography of the Year Award, will give a fascinating talk on the extraordinary story of the meteoric rise and fall of King James I’s favourite, George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham. With a novelist’s touch, Lucy transports us into a courtly world of masques and dancing, exquisite clothes, the art of Rubens and Van Dyck, gender-fluidity, brutal warfare and appallingly rudimentary medicine. These were dangerous and complicated times, an era where witch hunts coexisted with the beginnings of empirical science. Buckingham stood at its centre until his spectacular fall from grace. Ranging from tempestuous scenes in Parliament to the emergent political force of public opinion, The Scapegoat is a rich and compelling story about sex, misogyny, diplomacy and power, with deep resonance for today’s world. Hughes-Hallett’s extraordinary recreation of the period delves into love, war-fever and pacifism in a society on the brink of cataclysmic change. Lucy is a Suffolk-based author, and the location in Newmarket is an apposite choice for a story involving King James, a keen horseman who built a home in Newmarket from which to hunt, and who established the royal relationship with the town. The talk will be followed by a drinks reception. • John Lambton Rooms, National Horseracing Museum, Newmarket, CB8 8EP • Arrival from 5.45pm, talk at 6pm, drinks reception 7pm-8pm • Tickets £30 non-members. Members please use promo code. • Please book your ticket in advance.