And a little while ago, I came across a film called Lapwing.

Set in 1555, in the East Midlands, it tells the story of a small community of sort farmers living on the Lincolnshire coast.

The boat will be coming in the beginning of the month.

Come down on the beach, these marshes are ours.

You stay away from us, dear.

I was struck by the film as it reveals the impact of a little known law called the Egyptians Act, passed in 1554.

What was the purpose of this act?

And what does it tell us about Tura Government and society?

And why make a little known law the basis of a film for today's audiences?

Here to tell us more, today I have two guests.

My first is Dr. John E. Morgan, a lecturer at the University of Bristol.

He's the author of Counterfeit Egyptians, the construction and implementation of a criminal identity in early modern England,

an article which explores the Egyptians' acts and how the Tura State defined them.

My second guest is Laura Turner, an associate lecturer in script and screenwriting at the University of Lincoln and the screenwriter of Lapwing.

Laura's had more than 40 plays produced around the world.

She's an associate playwright at Chapter House Theatre Company, Novo Productions and Petersfield Shakespeare Festival.

And in 2020, she established her own theatre company, Fury Theatre, championing women's stories.

Dr. Morgan, thank you very much for joining me.

So, Lapwing jumps off the fact that we've got this act in 1554, the Egyptians Act.

Who is the government referring to in the act?

And given that it has Egyptians in the title, would someone from Egypt have defined themselves in the same way?

Yeah, this is a really interesting question.

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