Songs and stories of migration echoed around the Georgian courtroom of Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum on Wednesday night (June 13th), for Matthew Crampton and Jeff Warner’s touring show, ‘Human Cargo’.
The two folk performers used the humour, poignancy and hard-hitting facts of true stories to tell the tales of individuals who have moved across continents. The thought-provoking stories spanned centuries with examples of slavery, transportation and the clearances, whilst maintaining a link with the great migrations of our own time.
The performers delivered everything from soulful songs of the slave ships to music hall numbers of the 1920s – all while standing in the Judge’s podium, from which so many sentences of transportation were delivered. The packed audience were swept up in the performance, joining in with familiar songs that were given a new edge within the context of migration.
The show was lent an added potency by the surroundings, which had witnessed so many of the stories featured in the performance. Matthew Crampton’s local research added an immediacy by weaving in stories from close to home, such as the Tolpuddle Martyrs and Dorset slave owners.
Performer Jeff Warner said their job as historians was to ‘make history as interesting as it really was,’ he added: “That job was made stunningly easy at the Shire Hall Museum. History was all around us, at every turn. It was an honour to perform at the Courthouse.”
Fellow performer Matthew Crampton said: “What a wonderful place to bring our show Human Cargo. The Shire Hall, as expected, was rich in atmosphere. But it was also a lovely venue in which to perform.
“Storytellers long for settings that help lift their stories. Where better than an old courtroom to tell tales of poor folk transported unjustly in past centuries?”
The event was supported by the Verne Visitors Group, Dorset Race Equality Council and the Multicultural Network, and was part of the events programme for Shire Hall’s free temporary exhibition, ‘Journey to Justice’ which runs until the end of August.
Caz Dennett and other volunteers from the Verne Visitors Group were partners in the event, Caz said: “The Human Cargo show highlighted our history of migration across the world and past injustices that we might scoff at now for being absurd, but similar injustices continue today.
“The show was a great opportunity for us to engage with the audience on the issues of indefinite detention of people in the UK.”
This was the first time the Georgian courtroom had been used as a performance space since the opening of the new museum and heralds further events. Those interested in being kept updated with further events and exhibitions at Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum, can sign up to their mailing list at www.shirehalldorset.org.
The museum is open every day from 10am to 5pm. Entry to the permanent exhibition (including the cells and courtroom) is £8.50 for adults, £4.50 for children and £20 for a family, this includes an annual season ticket giving visitors unlimited free returns for a year. For more information visit www.shirehalldorset.org, find the team on Facebook @DorsetShireHall, Instagram @shire_hall_dorset and on Twitter @ShireHallDorset.
Harriet Still
