Hi everyone, I'm organising a conference in Leuven, 4-5 June, and you're all invited*! It's called 'Performing evil: the mediation and display of diabolic spectres 1700-2000' and here is the call for papers (get in touch if you'd like a pdf!). Please share widely! *to submit an abstract before 21/3

Enjoyed this conversation with @simpep.bsky.social and @callingdrjones.bsky.social for History UK - a great opportunity to reflect on my teaching experiences as a PGR and how they have formed my ECR teaching identity

Back in a rainy Exeter for term 2

Term 1 at Exeter done! An absolutely knackering 12 weeks for my first experience of (nearly) full time teaching, but couldn't be doing it at a better place or alongside more welcoming colleagues

The @ihr.bsky.social #London #SummerSchool 2026 is now booking on the theme of 'Sickness & Health'. From the Black Death to Covid-19. Use code HEALTH10 before 24th Jan to get 10% discount! Bursaries available www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

Does Artificial Intelligence have the potential to simplify, and ultimately impoverish, our study of the past? Gordon McKelvie @gordonmckelvie.bsky.social considers the recent explosion in A.I. and what it might mean for historians facing the current Higher Education crisis.

Our University Archive is a rich resource for exploring the lives & experiences of Black people at the University of Exeter & its predecessor institutions. Find out about this archive & more in our online guide to Black History research resources ⬇️ #BlackHistoryMonth #BHM #Archives #RareBooks

New in 'Transactions of the Royal Historical Society' '"your poore distressed suppliant": ‘Madness’, Emotion and the Archive in Early Modern England', by Jonathan Willis bit.ly/4mM49G4 How can perspectives from the history of emotions inform understanding of 'madness' in early modern England? 1/2

My latest piece with The Conversation - a short read on the long history of fermenting foods 🥒

Delightful break to the journey back from York stopping at Hardwick Hall

In York today for the Cabinet of Curiosities conference. Speaking later on truth and deceit in 17th century witchcraft reporting

Seventeenth century flirting: "A Young-man came in and ask'd her how she did? She answered very bad, but at present a little better"

Call for Papers for our interdisciplinary conference exploring Dialogues of Nonconformity across the British Atlantic World, 1500-1800, taking place at the University of Birmingham on 12 September 2025. Keynote delivered by Professor Alec Ryrie. Papers welcome from researchers at any career stage.

A snapshot into my current research as Visiting Early Career Fellow at @thejohnrylands.bsky.social and my enduring fascination with the Ordinary of Newgate, Paul Lorrain - what a character!

We have a great programme of emotions events kicking off at Warwick today with a conversation on Teaching Emotions History with @katieebarclay.bsky.social and Sasha Turner. Lots more to come this week! @naomipullin.bsky.social warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/his...

Had a wonderful time last week discussing early modern masculinities with @benltjackson.bsky.social and Hannah Yip at Manchester's Affective Artefacts seminar

Reading Foucault like

Looking forward to talking about my current project on Wednesday as part of a bumper Affective Artefacts session on early modern masculinities

Looking forward to this film screening and discussion on Friday!

Great to be back at the Lord Leycester this morning with @naomipullin.bsky.social to deliver training for volunteers and the public on using parish records

Talking alternative careers with Warwick History Postdoc Club this evening

Pleased to be re-running our FREE Research Workshops: with @lordleycester @WarwickHistory @warwickengages. Training and skills on early modern records, incl. parish registers, legal records, family archives and the early master & brethren. More here: www.lordleycester.com/lord-leycest...

The brand new website for the NATIONAL FOLKLORE SURVEY has launched today! www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk #folklore

Join History on Film and @emeccwarwick.bsky.social with @history-ucdavis.bsky.social on Friday 7 March, 4pm for screening of the award-winning The Devil’s Bath (2024), followed by pizza and discussion with Kathy Stuart. Claudia Stein, and @imogenknox.bsky.social warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/his...

Great fun to be writing again, today about the various controversies of Paul Lorrain, Ordinary of Newgate

Graduation last week was the culmination of years of work on my project, from drafting that (very rough) initial proposal in Nov 2019 to passing my viva with no corrections last July. An especial thanks to @naomipullin.bsky.social for being there on the day and all the support during my PhD journey

Some fascinating material so far in the Ordinary's Accounts. Shout out to Paul Lorrain for being so judgmental and providing some great quotes for my research

Enjoying getting stuck into research at the Rylands Library for my new project on last dying speeches

CFP for the 'Sleeping Well' @sleepingwelluom.bsky.social end-of-project conference, 'Bodies and Environments in the Early Modern World'. Taking place 9-10 June 2025 at JRRI, Manchester. Details on our website here: sites.manchester.ac.uk/sleeping-wel... Deadline 3 Feb. Please share widely!

While I've been absent here my article 'Faithful men and false women' was published OA with Gender & History. If you're interested in early modern constructions of love, emotion, and gender check it out! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Long time no update! I passed my viva with no corrections in July and since then have been working away on the monograph. Very excited to be taking up a John Rylands Early Career Fellowship in January, looking at emotions and masculinity in gallows speeches.

Submitted my thesis yesterday (so of course we had to go for donuts)

Last week was hectic but brilliant. Spoke about my thesis at Birmingham Eighteenth Century Centre colloquium and about demonic possession at @ihr.bsky.social Back to reality (and my mountain of marking) this morning

New piece on The Conversation theconversation.com/early-modern...

There is still plenty of time to add our next colloquium with @imogenknox.bsky.social to your calendars ✨ Though the event is shown as being sold out, this is only due to Eventbrite's ticket limit - there is no cap on attendance and the Zoom link can still be accessed at the link below!

Had a great time this morning with @naomipullin.bsky.social delivering training to Lord Leycester volunteers & members of the public on using parish records

Some holiday highlights - Budleigh, Longhope, Tewksbury

Gorgeous office view from the Institut für Geschichte today. Had a great time speaking on my thesis to the early modern colloquium last night, lots of useful discussion and feedback. Very grateful to be here.

Waiting to board

Last day of term!

Very excited to be headed back out to Dresden next week to speak at the early modern history colloquium! Something tells me the weather will be a little different to when I was last there

First frost in Cheltenham, settling into the office for a cozy day of editing

At the risk of speaking too soon (about 1/3 in) I'm currently having the best marking experience of my teaching career so far. Genuinely very impressed with the perceptive points my first year students are making in their historiographical review assignments

I've read in guides to using parish records that it was typical to marry in the bride's parish in 17th c England - is this true? Corroborating literature would be much appreciated

And now we edit

Some real horrors in the Newberry's Halloween postcard collection collections.newberry.org/CS.aspx?VP3=...

Double whammy of conclusion and postdoc application writing today has me feeling emotional. The PhD has been tough at times but also incredible. Equal parts excited and nostalgic to be finishing off this work and moving onto the next project

Great piece on the long life of the early modern sex manual 'Aristotle's Masterpiece' publicdomainreview.org/essay/when-t... #History #c17th #c18th

So far feeling suspiciously excited and not terrified by postdoc applications, I'll be clinging to this feeling as long as possible

Just pasted my final chapter into the master thesis document. Made my partner come in the room to watch the word count jump up 17k. Just the conclusion to go..!