Final AHRC CDP adverts: ASE & BL
The British Library and The University of Leicester
PhD Studentship: Anglo-Saxon England and the Continent: the manuscript evidence
The British Library and the University of Leicester are pleased to invite applications for a
three-year AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership PhD Studentship, available from 1
October 2015.
Applications are invited for a doctoral studentship tenable at the University of Leicester in
close collaboration with The British Library. This doctoral award is funded through the Arts
and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) under its Collaborative Doctoral Programme. The
project will be supervised by Professor Joanna Story at Leicester and by Dr Claire Breay, Lead
Curator of Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts, at the British Library.
The successful candidate will undertake a thesis on Anglo-Saxon England and the Continent
centred on the rich manuscript resources at the British Library. The culture of Anglo-Saxon
England before the Norman conquest is highly distinctive, not least through the use of the Old
English vernacular as a language of written record; but Anglo-Saxon political, religious,
economic, linguistic, literary and artistic history cannot be properly understood without
reference to contemporary connections with Europe. These cross-Channel connections were
always significant, and are manifest in many different ways through manuscripts preserved at
the British Library.
This studentship coincides with the three-year period of research and preparation for a major
British Library exhibition on the Anglo-Saxons that opens in October 2018, and which explores
the history, art, and culture of this period through the medium of extant manuscripts. This
offers the student an exceptional opportunity to participate in the development of an
international exhibition and the Library expects the student to contribute to related
publications (in print and online), public events, and academic conferences.
Applicants may propose projects that respond to this theme and which are centred on British
Library manuscripts. Potential projects include
• Anglo-Saxon England and Rome: This project could use multiple British Library
manuscripts to research the character of contacts between England and Rome before
1100. A student with interest in script could explore the development of uncial in AngloSaxon England (charters and MSS, such as the early eighth-century fragments of biblical
pandects from Wearmouth-Jarrow), and its Italian forebears, as well as the use of cursive
minuscule (letters) and the introduction of charters and other types of administrative
documents in seventh-century England. A student with a background in History could
explore the manuscripts containing texts that refer directly to historical connections with
Rome (eg: Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica or William of Malmesbury’s Gesta regum
Anglorum). The Cotton Mappa Mundi made c. 1025 (Tiberius B.V) would be an essential
starting point and an ideal focus for developing online materials to accompany the existing
digital display of that unique manuscript.
• Letters to the English: The British Library holds the earliest original “Letter Close”
(Augustus II.18) and many other manuscripts containing copies of letters written by or to
Anglo-Saxons, many from the Continent (e.g.: papal letters, Alcuin, Charlemagne, Cnut).
The phenomenon of letter writing can be studied in terms of palaeography, diplomatic,
literary / linguistic styles, textual content, social and intellectual network analysis and
diaspora theory.
Final AHRC CDP adverts: ASE & BL
• Perceptions of the past in Anglo-Saxon England: Continental kinship. A project on this
theme would begin with the Beowulf manuscript and the Cotton Mappa Mundi (made
within a generation of each other) and use these and other manuscripts to research
aspects of the reception of the narrative of kinship between England and the Continent
from the ‘migration period’ to the reign of Cnut.
• Methods of Making: comparative production of manuscripts in Anglo-Saxon England
and Europe. A comparative project could explore and test hypotheses about the methods
of making books in Anglo-Saxon England and on the Continent, working out from wellknown observations of differences between insular and continental membrane. The
breadth of collections at the British Library means that data from manuscripts across a
wide chronological and geographical range could be examined to test pre-existing
hypotheses about regional book production styles and to develop new ones.
The student will join the vibrant academic community at Leicester where there are many
academic staff, post-doctoral researchers, and postgraduate students who work on the
history and culture of the middle ages. The School of History at Leicester, ranked 6th in The
Guardian’s REF tables (Jan 2015), is home to a lively postgraduate community of around 170
students, including over 90 doctoral students who are based in the Marc Fitch Historical
Institute. The School runs several other current collaborative doctoral projects with
organisations including the National Archives, English Heritage, Boughton House and the
National Maritime Museum. There are a range of postgraduate seminars and events
(including the New History Lab and the annual postgraduate conference), and the university is
home the Medieval Research Centre that brings together the expertise of medievalists across
the University. The student will also be expected to present their findings in seminars and
conferences beyond Leicester and, as their work progresses, to publish papers in academic
books and journals. They will automatically become part of the UK-wide CDP development
scheme (http://www.ahrc-cdp.org/category/activities-for-students/), which will provide
training in a range of skills needed for research within museums, archives, galleries and
heritage organisations. They will become involved in the working life of the British Library
through engagement with the 2018 exhibition.
For further information on the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership scheme at the British
Library, please visit http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/highered/hecollab/collabdoctpar/
Person specification
We are looking to recruit a highly promising student who will relish the opportunity of
combining academic research with the experience of working as part of a professional team
of curators and researchers. This studentship is likely to appeal to individuals with a
background in early medieval history, book history, literature, language, or interdisciplinary
methods for understanding early medieval material culture. Prior experience of research
using early medieval manuscripts will be an advantage, and the successful applicant will
demonstrate commensurate skills in relevant languages and palaeography. A commitment to
communicating the results of research to a wider public audience is key in the context of the
British Library’s exhibition.
Entry Requirements
Applicants must have a first-class or high upper second-class honours degree (or equivalent
qualification) and meet the University’s standard English Language entry requirements. It is
Final AHRC CDP adverts: ASE & BL
expected that applicants will have a related Master’s degree with merit or distinction, or be
able to show evidence that they will achieve this by October 2015.
The studentship is available for full-time study only, and applicants must be able to
commence their studies in October 2015.
Eligibility
The successful candidate must meet Research Council eligibility criteria based on UK
residency. See paragraphs 42-44 on pp. 11-12 of the RCUK Terms and Conditions for
Postgraduate training grants:
http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/RCUK-prod/assets/documents/documents/TermsConditionsTrainingGrants.pdf
Studentship information
The standard tuition fees and stipend (maintenance grant) will be paid by the ARHC to the
award holder subject to the eligibility criteria outlined by them. The AHRC stipend for 2015/16
is £14057.
In addition the British Library will provide:
Limited annual funding to support travel directly related to the doctoral research; desk and
computer in the Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts Section of the British
Library; access to staff catering facilities
How to apply
To apply you need to complete the standard University of Leicester online application form
here: http://www2.le.ac.uk/study/research/phd/history
In place of the research proposal requested on this form, you should provide a statement of
up to 1,000 words on:
1. How you propose to develop the project theme using the British Library collections
2. How your education and experience to date has prepared you for this research
position, and the opportunities offered by the 2018 exhibition
Applicants should also submit:
3. A 4-5,000 word sample of their written work
Informal Enquiries
Informal enquiries relating to potential research projects or eligibility should be sent to
Professor Joanna Story: js73@le.ac.uk
Closing Date:
Friday 10 April 2015, 17:00 (London time)
Interview Date:
5/6 May 2015, at The British Library