Introducing: Step into the Past | The Craftsmen of Calke Abbey

National Trust Podcast

Introducing Step into the Past, a podcast from our sponsors at Findmypast.
What if you could follow in the footsteps of your ancestors and reveal the hidden tales behind some of the UK’s fascinating historical locations?
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and her guest Sandy travel to the not-so-stately home of Calke Abbey in Derbyshire to discover Sandy’s family’s longstanding connection to the estate and its early Baptist congregation.
Calke Abbey has undergone many transformations in its long history, moving from religious priory to sprawling stately home, and forming the core of the community in all its guises for hundreds of years.
Sandy discovers that her family were skilled workers and faithful retainers, who honed their crafts over generations and were rewarded for their expertise and dedication
by their wealthy patrons. Over 200 years, members of the family were embedded in the fabric of this community, enjoying the employment opportunities and patronage offered by Calke Abbey. Sandy also learns of their non-conformist beliefs, at a time when Baptism was on the rise among skilled working classes, and how this threatened the established order.
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Find out more about the series on the Findmypast website:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/page/podcast