Profile
Biography
MA, DPhil (Oxon), FRHistS
My immersion in the sixteenth century began at Merton College, Oxford, where I was taught by Steven Gunn and Blair Worden, and attended lectures by Christopher Haigh and Penry Williams. I studied for an MA as a Thouron Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania before returning to Oxford to research my doctorate on Tudor royal propaganda. I came to York in 2005, having worked on the Tudor desk at the Dictionary of National Biography and as a teaching fellow at Lincoln College, Oxford.
My research focuses on the political, religious and cultural history of sixteenth-century England, and I am also interested in the history of early colonial America and Ireland. I write for the Times Literary Supplement and give regular public lectures – see ‘External Activity’ for more details.
Research
Overview
My research centres on the monarchs whom we call 'the Tudors':
their policies in church and state, the relationship between court and country,
and the ideas and strategies by which royal power was justified. My first book, Propaganda and the Tudor State, examined popular perceptions of
kingship from a provincial perspective, surveying art, architecture and sacred
drama alongside more conventional historical records. In 2009 I introduced and co-edited Henry VIII: Arms and the Man, the
catalogue of the Henry VIII exhibition at the Tower of London.
My latest book, The
Queen’s Agent: Francis Walsingham at the Court of Elizabeth I (Faber,
2011), examines the career of Queen Elizabeth’s principal secretary and
spymaster. As ambassador to France,
Walsingham witnessed the St Bartholomew’s day massacre and was intimately
involved with negotiations for a marriage alliance. Appointed to the privy council, Walsingham
rose to become one of the most powerful men in government, responsible for
maintaining the Queen’s safety at home and abroad.
Projects
My latest project focuses on St Stephen’s Chapel in
the Palace of Westminster. The fire of
1512/13 prompted Henry VIII to abandon Westminster as a royal palace, but the
building remained at the heart of national life. In 1547 the medieval chapel royal was
converted to become the first permanent meeting place of the House of
Commons. Another focus of my research is
the magnificent cloister built by Henry VIII’s physician, one of the few parts
of the palace to survive the great fire of 1834. This is one strand of a major collaboration
between the University of York, the Palace of Westminster, the History of
Parliament and the Institute of Historical Research.
Supervision
I welcome enquiries from anyone considering postgraduate
research in early modern British history, especially the monarchy, the
Reformation, rebellion and popular politics, and the British context of state
power.
Current and recent PhD supervision
-
'Bishop John Jewel and the
via media of the Church of England'
- 'Rebellion and popular
protest during the reign of Henry VII'
- 'Elizabethan espionage
1568-1588'
- 'Establishing an English
Bible in Henry VIII’s England: translation, vernacular theology, and
William Tyndale'
- 'The Caroline court of
Wards and Liveries'
Resources available for research students in York
York is at the forefront of research in early modern British
history, recruiting large numbers of students from the UK and around the
world. The J.B. Morrell Library offers
access to State Papers Online and Early English Books Online and has a wide
range of primary and secondary resources, supplemented by the holdings of York
Minster Library. The Raymond Burton
Library for Humanities Research has the Elton collection of books on open
shelves. The Borthwick Institute for
Archives houses the records of the Archbishop of York and the recently
re-catalogued cause papers, as well as a host of other material relating to
religious and social history. Expert
training is offered in palaeography and research skills. The interdisciplinary Centre for Renaissance
and Early Modern Studies hosts frequent lectures and seminars, and fosters a
vibrant research culture, in a stunning new building.
Teaching
Undergraduate
An example of modules taught:
HIS00167H Thomas More: Learning, Politics and Religion in England, 1500-35
Postgraduate
An example of modules taught:
- HIS00154M Representing Power in Early Modern England
External activities
Media coverage
Journalism
Radio and Television
- Interview for Radio 4's 'Making History', 18 October 2011
- The Queen’s Agent Radio
4 Book of the Week 26-30 September 2011, serialised in five parts and read by
Hugh Bonneville
- Interview ‘Time Team Special’ on Henry VIII’s lost palaces,
9 April 2009
Consultancy
- Honorary Historical Consultant, Royal Armouries Museum
Public Lectures
Recent public lectures include the National Portrait
Gallery, the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, and literary festivals in
Warwick and Ilkley. I have been a guest
speaker on the Cunard ships 'Queen Mary 2', 'Queen Elizabeth 2' and 'Queen
Victoria', and I often give talks to schools, history societies and local
groups of various kinds.