Sebastian Page attended Hymers College from 1992 to1998 and we welcomed him back (virtually) to talk to A-level History students about the history books that he has authored. His love of history stemmed from the teaching of Ms Stanyon and he enjoyed his final year at the school before moving out of the area.

In my last year at Hymers (Year 9), I got into the American Civil War, which is at the heart of my book, thanks to the teaching of Ms (now Dr) Stanyon.  That said, I would not study American history again – or have the option to do so – until the second year of my undergraduate course at Oxford.

But the highlight of that year was winning a prize in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s ‘Top of the Bench’ competition, for which Mr Meadway took a group of us to the Science Museum, London.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, I would urge students to enjoy the sheer range of subjects that they cover. Whether they go on to university, or straight into the world of work, they’re likely to encounter less variety than they do now.

Seb is now a historian of the United States and Atlantic world during the nineteenth century. He specialises in the emigration of African Americans through the U.S. Civil War, and of former Confederates after it. 

Now based at Hertford College, University of Oxford, Seb has written two books:-

• Black Resettlement and the American Civil War (Cambridge Studies on the American South) - Winner of Tom Watson Brown Book Award 2021 (available to buy from Amazon - other book shops are available!
• Colonization After Emancipation: Lincoln and the Movement for Black Resettlement (also available to buy from Amazon)

Thank you for taking the time to speak to our students at school, Sebastian. We were delighted to hear from you and wish you well with your future work.