For the 150th anniversary of Harriet Martineau’s death, the Martineau Society will be hosting its annual conference in conjunction with the University of Cumbria, Ambleside Campus, in Ambleside, England. The Martineau Society conference is an interdisciplinary conference that focuses on the lives, work, and contributions of the Martineau family, including its two most famous and influential members, Harriet Martineau (1802-1876) and James Martineau (1805-1900). Harriet Martineau resided in the Lake District for much of her later years, from 1845 until her death in 1876. At the Knoll, the Ambleside home she built in 1846, using the proceeds of her writings, Martineau wrote Eastern Life, Present and Past, Household Education, Letters on the Laws of Man’s Nature and Development, her translation and condensation of Comte, England and Her Soldiers, and many journalist contributions, including those to the Daily News. Martineau also wrote several guides to the Lake District, including Guide to Windemere and A Complete Guide to the English Lakes.

Started by Norwich Unitarians in 1994, the Martineau Society encourages scholarship on the Martineau family and their nineteenth-century context as well as their continuing influence.  

Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Theology and Religion

Literature (all genres, including Children’s Literature and Travel Writing)

Language and Linguistics

Cultural Studies, including Tourism in the Lake District

Art and Philosophy

Gender Studies

Slavery, Abolition, and Civil Rights

Politics, including Local, National, International politics, and Politics of Empire

Engineering and Industry

Economics

Journalism

Disability Studies

Health and Medicine

Science and Social Sciences

Education

Familial Relationships, Friendships, Relationships with Contemporaries

The conference will be held at the University of Cumbria, Ambleside, from Sunday, July 5 to Wednesday, July 8, 2026.  Individual paper presentations, including a question-and-answer session, are approximately 45 minutes.  Anyone interested in giving a shorter 20-minute paper should indicate this preference on the registration form.  Please submit a 150-word abstract and complete the registration form found on The Martineau Society website online at The 2026 Martineau Society Conference Details, Registration and Call for papers – Martineau Society, emailing them to the society’s secretary Dr. Sharon Connor at sharonconnor@live.co.uk. 

For travel scholarships funds of £250 for graduate students, contact the society administrator Professor Gaby Weiner at gabyweiner@icloud.com. While information about limited student accommodation at the University of Cumbria is available on the Martineau Society website, please work directly with the University of Cumbria, with their deadline of March 15, 2026. Details for other accommodation can be found on the Lake District Tourist Information site: https://www.visitlakedistrict.com/accommodation

 For any queries about the conference, contact the conference organizer Stuart Hobday at stuh66@gmail.com.