Professor in Early Medieval History

Contact Details

Biography 

I studied History and Archaeology at Durham, completing a PhD there in early medieval history in 1995. In 1996 I came to Leicester as a temporary lecturer, and have been here ever since. My major research interests fall within the period c. AD 600–900 and span the history of Anglo-Saxon England, Carolingian Francia, and Italy (especially Rome), and the connections between them. The material culture of the written word is at the heart of my work which focuses on the contemporary manuscript and epigraphic evidence. My research is characterised by its interdisciplinarity, as shown especially by my work on Old St Peter's, Rome and by the major Research Programme funded by the Leverhulme Trust on The Impact of Diasporas in the Making of Britain: Evidence, Memories, Inventions which runs from 2011–2015, for which I am Principal Investigator.  I'm currently also an editor for Early Medieval Europe, and Series Editor of Ashgate's series, Studies in Early Medieval Britain. With the 'Friends of All Saints', Brixworth', I convene the Brixworth Lecture that is held annually in late October.

Research

• Research Interests 
• Publications 
• Websites: Carolingian Polyptyques

Topics in early medieval English or Frankish History, particularly those that focus on cross-Channel, Northumbrian, or Mercian themes as well as those which involve the exploration of archaeological as well as historical evidence.  

Teaching

My teaching reflects many of my research interests. I run courses on Anglo-Saxon, Carolingian, and Viking history (and archaeology) at undergraduate level.  

Administrative Responsibilities 

Most Recent Publications

1. Anglo-Saxon England and the Continent. Essays in Anglo-Saxon Studies 3, Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies vol. 394, ed. Hans Sauer and J. Story (Tempe AZ 2011)
2. ‘Aldhelm and Old St. Peter’s, Rome’, Anglo-Saxon England 39 (2010), pp. 7–20
3. ‘Frankish Annals in Anglo-Norman Durham’, in Wilhelm Levison (1876–1947) – Ein jüdisches Forscherleben zwischen wissenschaftlicher Anerkennung und politischem Exil, Bonner Historische Forschungen 62, ed. M. Becher and Y. Hen (Verlag Franz Schmitt, Siegburg, 2010), pp. 145–60
4. ‘After Bede: Continuing the Ecclesiastical History’, in Early Medieval Studies in Memory of Patrick Wormald ed. S. Baxter, C. Karkov, J. L. Nelson, and D. Pelteret (Ashgate, Aldershot, 2009), pp. 165–84