Unearthing the unexpected in religious archives

We’re delighted to be hosted by the John Rylands Library at the University of Manchester for this year’s conference, which will take place on Wednesday 11 November 2026.

From artefacts that have ended up in surprising places to topics you might not expect to find lurking in religious archives…our theme this year is the unexpected.  Our speakers, Professor Sasha Handley, Tim Procter, Professor Michael Questier, Dr Naomi Baker and Neil Sayer, will cover subjects ranging from poltergeists to royal love letters! The full programme will be available soon.

The conference will be a one-day in-person event running from 10.30-4.45 and will include a tour of the treasurs of the John Rylands Library. The conference fee is £42.50, which includes lunch and refreshments and the tour from 4.00 to 4.45. We really look forward to welcoming those of you who can attend.

Spaces are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment!

Tickets are available from Ticketlab at: Religious-Archives-Group-Conference-2026-tickets

The full programme is available here (Please note that titles and timings are currently provisional. A finalised version will be available soon).