Thomas Manning

Thomas Manning was the son of the first Diss Manning rector and brother of the second. But the church was not for him. He was, in his own words, “impelled unswervingly to strange things”.

Perhaps inspired by a school play on an Oriental subject, he became fascinated by China, its language and manners. His life was devoted to reaching Peking and fulfilling these desires. This was not to be; but he reached Lhasa in Tibet, the first European to do so, and met the boy Dalai Lama.

Diss Museum re-created the occasion, 200 years later, when Thomas’ great-great nephew, Robert Manning, met the current Lama.

Diss Museum Actors, who featured in last year’s Roydon Riots presentation and the Ghost Walks, will tell Thomas Manning’s story, his friendship with Charles and Mary Lamb, his efforts to learn Chinese and reach that country, his rebuffs, hardships and meetings with the great and…