Museum director, Clive Finlayson, delivered an invited lecture entitled “La Barrosa, Gibraltar y La Contingencia Historica” to a packed forum at the Centro de Interpretación del Vino y la Sal in Chiclana, on Wednesday 22nd November.

A statement from the Government follows below:

The event was organized by the Asociación Pro  Fundación Batalla de La Barrosa and was presided by the Mayor of Chiclana, José María Román  Guerrero. 

In his lecture, Professor Finlayson gave an account of the events surrounding the Battle of La  Barrosa, which took place near Chiclana on the 5th March, 1811. The battle was an episode during  the Peninsular War and was an attempt to relieve Cádiz from Napoleon’s blockade. Professor  Finlayson highlighted the role played by British troops, including contingents sent out from  Gibraltar and which played a key role in the battle. He then extended the lecture to cover a broad  time frame, beginning with the capture of Gibraltar in 1704, through the sieges of 1727 and 1779- 83 (the Great Siege), the Battle of Trafalgar, events leading up to the battle itself. He used these  events to highlight the role of historical contingency, considering how the outcome might have  been had these events taken a different turn. From there the lecture moved onto outcomes,  through to the early days of the 20th Century. 

Commenting on the event, Minister for Heritage, Professor John Cortes, who was co-host of the  event but could not attend on the night due to Parliamentary duties, said “I am delighted that the  links with Chiclana are being renewed, with the possibility of exciting collaborative projects in the  future. We have a lot in common, not just elements of a shared military history but also a shared  history of science and exploration, with such characters as Abel Chapman, Walter Buck and  Willoughby Verner, as well as a very direct connection in the study of bird migration in the region.”