Independent Researcher

About

The main focus of my research falls under the umbrella of landscape studies, by and large focusing on the medieval period, and more specifically at the intersection of history, archaeology and place-name studies (as well as factors like architecture, topography and geology when relevant). I can't claim to be an out-and-out expert in any of those fields, but believe that by not having particular allegiance to one means I am able to offer more objective, holistic interpretations of the various strands of evidence available when appraising a place, artefact or event.

I research, write and on occasion talk mainly about Surrey, my home county and where my interest in the subject(s) began - it helps that research-wise it is the poor cousin of the counties around it. However, I am starting to branch out to consider particular regional and/or national questions in my recent research, and hope to be able to continue this trend. I run a blog, Surrey Medieval, to make the fruits of my research available to all in a quick, succinct fashion, as well as being an active member of the Surrey Archaeological Society (more so now I am living in the south-east of England again).

Education wise, I gained a Masters in Medieval Studies from the Institute of Medieval Studies at the University of Leeds in 2007, having completed a BA in Geography at the same institution. After a couple of years of toying with a number of ideas I think I may have hit upon a credible topic to pursue as a PhD, and currently I am defining and refining it into a proposal which I hope to be in a position to send out to potential supervisors for comment in the next couple of months.

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