Current PhD Students

Ellen Gallimore

Thesis Title:

The Ecclesiastical Historiography of the English People: The Anglo-Saxon Church in English History, 1799-1849

Supervisors:

Professor Matthew Townend & Dr Emma Major

Description:

My doctoral research investigates histories of Anglo-Saxon England published between 1799-1849 and seeks to understand how the faiths of their writers influenced the usage of Anglo-Saxon texts to support their depiction of the history of the Church in England. Among the historians and antiquarians involved in my project are Sharon Turner, John Lingard, Henry Soames, and John Mitchell Kemble. The study of the Anglo-Saxon written record in the early nineteenth century grew alongside changing religious demographics in England and the rise of medievalism. Works such as Bede’s Historia ecclesiastica and Ælfric’s Catholic Homilies feature prominently in arguments regarding the legacy of the post-Reformation church as an extension of the Anglo-Saxon church being distinct from Rome. Through close analysis of the original early medieval texts and their usage in this debate by historians, this research aims to determine to what extent contemporary religious upheaval impacted the reception and representation of the Anglo-Saxon Church.

My broader research interests include medievalism, the early medieval church, the development of Anglo-Saxon studies from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, and Old English and Anglo-Latin literature.

I hold a BA in English and Spanish from Mount Holyoke College, a MA in Medieval English Literatures from the University of York, and PGDip from the University of York in Parish Church Studies: Heritage, History and Fabric.