The Lisk History Society


The Lisk History Society, named after its redoubtable President Jill Lisk (former Head of History), is one of the most active societies in the school and has fostered a tradition of die-hard loyalty from across the age-groups. A hard-working committee of upper sixth students assists the three history teachers in the planning and presentation of a programme that includes a great variety of thoughts and activities. Some of these link with the topics taught in the classroom; others are completely by the by. The society is committed to high academic standards but believes that there is a place for exciting or comical occasions that at first sight seem to have little to do with History.


Foreign Trips: >Click for more information
The Society has a tradition of running rather ‘rough-and-ready’ Sixth Form trips to Islamic countries. Not all the accommodation has been luxurious. In recent years there have been two trips to Egypt, one to Istanbul, and one to Morocco. Afghanistan and Iraq are being considered. These trips have been adventurous and exciting. The purpose of them is as much to inculcate the skills and delights of independent travel as to teach the history of each place, though Mr Chatterton and Mr Moule are at pains to ensure that a sense of curiosity about the culture and history of each area is developed in each pupil. We strongly recommend that you follow the attachments and read the detailed accounts of the journeys. 


Local Trips: >Click for more information
Mr Moule in particular is adamant that an appreciation of the richness of what lies around us is one of the most effective routes to indulging in the Joy of History. We spend so much time talking about Siberia and Berlin that we are in danger of forgetting that we study in an area which is particularly rich in historical remains. Moreover, Mr Moule loves castles, and so, once a term, there has been a Sunday outing to the borders of Wales, where we focus on the history of the Marcher lords and their architectural patronage. Pupils bring picnics in hampers, often including cakes or sandwiches carefully fashioned to resemble castles. There have also been trips for Upper Sixth enthusiasts to Cleeve Abbey, Hestercombe Gardens, and parish churches such as Bishop’s Lydeard and Cothelstone.


 Prizes: >Click for more information
The Society runs a prize for the best work of historical fiction. This was won in 2006 by Hannah Plant (4^th Form), with a rather nightmarish account of Harold’s oath to William of Normandy entitled The Cup of Friendship. The runners-up were James Canvin, who wove two narratives about the destruction of Pompeii together, and Will Grove, who wrote from the point of view of a prostitute in Jack the Ripper’s London.


 Lectures and seminars: >Click for more information
Over the last few months we have been fortunate enough to welcome speakers including Gerald Harriss (a distinguished Oxford medievalist), Freddie Knoller (a survivor of Auschwitz), and two veterans from the wars in Iraq. We also run a programme of cross-curricular public lectures based upon the Humanities. These ‘History and Arts Public Lectures’ have attracted audiences, made up of the general public as well as parents and pupils, of up to 150. 


Lisk Society Evenings
occur once or twice a term and tend to be very well attended by pupils from all year-groups. The Sixth Form Committee has recently presented a fascinating Question Time, chaired by Mr Marsden, in which great passions about issues as diverse as the Iraq War and the death of George Best were displayed. In Who wants to be a millionaire? pupils were given the chance to win tremendous sums if only they knew what Svyatoslav’s hairstyle was, or who fought the Battle of the Bulge. Before the recent Sixth Form trips to Istanbul and Morocco, there have been evenings focusing on the history of these places. The Istanbul Evening, organized by Mr Moule, involved a whistle-stop tour of the history of the city, including the presentation of a fez and an extract from the James Bond film set there. The Morocco Evening, a wild affair organized by Mr Chatterton, kicked off with a careful mock-up of the Djmaa el Fnaa, the great square in Marrakesh: we had a gymnast, a snake-charmer (complete with upper sixth snake), a pick-pocket, a card-sharp, a unicycle, a dancer, a juggler, a magician, a fortune-teller, and plenty of costumes. 


The Parade:
In the heat of the Summer term, everyone dresses up as dramatically as possible, and the Lisk Parade takes place round the front of the school. The President leads, sometimes on horseback, and banners are waved all about. In 2005 appearances were made by several Suffragettes, a Camel, plenty of people in Oriental dress, and some of Al Capone’s bodyguards. ISTANBUL TRIP (click here to download 126k pdf