The English Civil Wars, the Interregnum, and the Stuart Restoration are together considered one of the most divisive periods in English history. Whether they were Royalist or Parliamentarian, Catholic or Puritan, there is no doubt that these two decades of turbulence and change set families against each other and created an unstable and unsettling environment for the normal, everyday person. This presentation by musician and historian Natalie Kershaw introduces you to the role of the musician in everyday English society, set against a divisive political and social context. Click here for an 84-minute video of her talk posted on January 23, 2026 by the Partnership of Historic Bostons.

Musician and historianNatalie Kershaw (above, left) has always been involved in musical groups and theatres. She performs everything from medieval music to contemporary and musical theatre using voice, keyboard instruments, woodwind and brass (including medieval shawms). She was interviewed by Roxanne Reddington-Wilde (above, right) for the Partnership of Historic Bostons.

Through the eyes of the musician, she explores the turbulent backdrop of the bloody English Civil War, Cromwell’s 11-year Interregnum, and the Restoration of the monarch with the return of Charles II to the throne.

Using 17th and 18th century archival material, including the diaries of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, Kershaw uncovered popular attitudes toward music as well as contemporary musical performances such as theatre, ballads, music-making, and dancing.