Throughout March 2021, Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) will celebrate Women’s History Month with a series of online events exploring the links that our collections and sites have to women’s histories and how these stories are told.

The flagship event will be a discussion on Women Writing Historical Fiction for Television with Joy C. Mitchell, one of the writers of Bridgerton. The Queen’s House was used as a filming location for the record-breaking Netflix historical drama, ideally positioning RMG to host an event celebrating women writers. Mitchell will be joined by award-winning historian Hallie Rubenhold, the author of works such as The Harlot’s Handbook and The Scandalous Lady W, which have inspired numerous recent historical television dramas.

As well as this one-off event, RMG will host a season of talks on the topic of ‘Rebel Women – Female Pirates’ to celebrate Women’s History Month. Over three talks, panellists will celebrate and discover more about piratical women who broke the rules. Drawing on the knowledge of writers, performers and academics involved, this series explores female piracy and looks at trailblazers who forged their own future and followed their desire for freedom in an incredibly male dominated society. From Grace O’Malley, the 16th century Mistress of the Western Waves, who led her crew into battle and captured an Algerian pirate ship an hour after giving birth, to the infamous Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who pushed gender and sexual boundaries before being convicted at the height of the ‘Golden Age of Piracy’, these free lectures and live performances will take a closer look at what made female pirates tick and how their stories have inspired modern writers and artists.

Throughout Women's History Month 2021, families will be able to discover the accomplished women whose stories sit within the Royal Museums Greenwich collection through online storytelling and craft workshops. Virtual visitors can explore these women’s’ journeys and create crafts at home that are inspired by their lives.

Activities will be released on www.rmg.co.uk/family-activities throughout March.

EVENTS

From Harlots to Bridgerton: Women Writing Historical Fiction for Television

With dynamic female-centred period dramas breaking streaming records, RMG is proud to host this conversation between a writer and author who have been integral to bringing historical women to screens. Historian Hallie Rubenhold is the author of three works of non-fiction and two novels which have inspired television dramas Harlots and The Scandalous Lady W. Her most recent book, The Five; The Untold Lives of The Women Killed by Jack the Ripper won the Baillie Gifford Prize and was shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize. It has been optioned as a drama series by Mainstreet Pictures. She will join Joy C. Mitchell, a TV writer and producer who worked on the hit Netflix drama Bridgerton which was partly filmed at The Queen’s House. Chardine Taylor-Stone will chair this conversation about finding the right balance between historical accuracy and feminist storytelling for television.

Date: 4 March 2021

Time: 19.00 – 20.00

Access: Book tickets at www.rmg.co.uk

Admission: Tickets available on a ‘Pay What You Can’ basis

Age: 17+

Rebel Women – Female Pirates

Week 1 - Bonny and Read

The first talk in this series will explore the fascinating lives and legacies of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, notorious pirates of the 18th century. With speakers Carina Rodney, award winning writer and Hell Cats author, designer and author Amanda Cotton, 3D Designer and Jo Cummins, Máiréad ní Chróinín and Grace Kiely from Moonfish Theatre company. This talk will include a live performance from Moonfish Theatre company’s play about Bonny and Read.

Date: 2 March 2021

Time: 19:00 – 20:00

Access: Book tickets at www.rmg.co.uk/rebelwomen

Admission: Free

Age: 12+

Week 2 - Pirate Queen/Breaking the Rules

The incredible achievements of Grace O’Malley and women in combat will be explored in the second week’s event. How were these women able to enter the culture of war and piracy in a male-dominated society? And what happens to their stories when told through a male filter throughout history? With Anne Chambers, the best-selling author ofGrace O’Malley: The Biography of Ireland’s Pirate Queen, 1530-1603 and Dr. Julie Wheelwright, author of Sisters in Arms: Women Warriors from Antiquity to the New Millennium, hear how this Pirate Queen led her crew to fight an ambush from Algerian pirates an hour after she gave birth and how she defeated her husband’s murderers to claim back his castle.

Date: 9 March 2021

Time: 19:00 – 20:00

Access: Book tickets at www.rmg.co.uk/rebelwomen

Admission: Free

Age: 12+

Week 3 - Women of Pirate Radio

Pirate radio stations in the UK began as 'off shore' broadcasters, with arguably the most famous being Radio Caroline. Pirate radio provided an alternative to mainstream radio and started the careers of many who went on to become legendary radio DJs. The rebel pirate spirit that began at sea later came inland. This talk features women who were central to the pirate radio scene of the 1980s and 90s. The panel will be chaired by DJ Debbie Golt, radio host and Broadcaster for Resonance FM. She will be joined by Angie Dee, a radio broadcaster and producer for Kiss FM, London and JWave, Tokyo, and Carmella Obinyan, who was one of very few female DJ’s working in London in the 1980s.

Date: 15 March 2021

Time: 18:00 – 19:00

Access: Book tickets at www.rmg.co.uk/rebelwomen

Admission: Free

Age: 12+