Join Dr Declan Wiffen and Tina Hagger, as they explore the unknown story of Faversham's little known Seed Merchant, George Roberts of Davington Priory. Moving to Faversham in 1948, Roberts sold flower and vegetable seeds to the rich and famous, including Vita Sackville-West and the Queen Mother.

But his life before Faversham was quite different, starting as footman to William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp, a once celebrated aristocrat, politician and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Roberts became Beauchamp’s companion and lover, traveling the world with him, and instigating one of Britain’s most notorious sexuality scandals, leading to Beauchamp's exile and inspiring elements of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited. 

 

Come along and hear about Roberts' life, in Faversham and beforehand, in a talk that will shed light on a local figure that has been forgotten, uncovering an interesting chapter of the town's LGBTQ+ history.