Welcome

I am a historian who specialises in medieval history and the history of London. I studied for my doctoral thesis at King’s College London, now I teach courses in history and sustainability both in the UK and abroad. I love spending time in libraries and at archives and regularly publish my research. If I’ve not got my head in a book, you’ll probably find me at the cricket.

Picking up the History Essay prize from the Lord Mayor at the Guildhall

BIOGRAPHY I am a historian who specialises in medieval history and the history of London. I teach courses in history for Dartmouth College and IES Abroad London. My first book, Crafted in Stone: A history of the Worshipful Company of Masons of the City of London, was published in 2023 and I am now working on others. One will be published by the Oxford Medieval Texts series, and it will contain a new edition of the medieval manuscript commonly called the Liber de Antiquis Legibus. This manuscript was compiled by the thirteenth-century London alderman Arnold fitz Thedmar. My edition will contain, for the first time, the Latin and French text of the manuscript alongside an English translation, together with a detailed introduction to the work and to the man who produced it. I am a Resident Scholar at Dartmouth College, NH, and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Previously, I held a Visiting Research Fellowship at King's College London and a Junior Research Fellowship at the Institute of Historical Research in London. I have published several papers in peer-reviewed academic journals; written entries for The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and The Encyclopaedia of the Medieval Chronicle; and contributed many other articles to non-academic titles.

Research Interests Medieval history Palaeography Book and manuscript studies History of London Guilds and companies Affiliations Dartmouth College, NH IES Abroad London The Royal Historical Society Awards Curriers’ Company London History Essay Prize 2015

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MY RESEARCH My early research focused on historical writing in the Middle Ages. For my doctoral thesis, which was completed at King’s College London, I prepared a new edition of the manuscript compiled and composed by the London alderman Arnold fitz Thedmar (1201-74). Arnold’s book is most famous for its ‘Chronicle of the Mayors and Sheriffs of London’, the first secular, civic chronicle written in the British Isles. Thanks to a doctoral funding grant from King’s College and the award of a Junior Research Fellowship at the Institute of Historical Research in London, I was able to prepare the first scholarly edition of Arnold’s book, shed new light on this unique manuscript, and explore how writers in European cities constructed civic identities and wrote municipal history in the years 1100-1300, the period of the greatest urbanization in Europe since the time of Rome. I am now preparing an edition of my thesis for publication with the Oxford Medieval Texts series. I have published extensively on the history of London. My first book, Crafted in Stone: A History of the Worshipful Company of Masons of the City of London, came out in 2023. You can find details of all my research, which can be found in peer-reviewed academic titles, magazines and online, below. You can also check out my YouTube Channel. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJhLwQI7TlA[/embed]

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TEACHING & LECTURING

I teach because I want to inspire students to learn in the same way that I was inspired. I especially enjoy teaching a variety of courses to diverse groups, and I am fortunate that I continue to learn from all of my students. docendo discimus. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6l1ebKdKwo[/embed]

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE Dartmouth College is an Ivy League liberal arts college. Each year, as part of its foreign study programme, it sends a cohort of junior-year undergraduates to London for a semester. As part of this experience they take my ‘London in History’ module, in which we study London's history from its Roman foundation to its contemporary status as a global city. IES ABROAD LONDON IES Abroad is one of the world's leading study abroad providers. For more than sixty-five years, IES Abroad has provided students with the opportunity to travel as part of their studies. Working in London, I teach the history of London and urban sustainability to students from American institutions in London. USAC For more than thirty-five years, University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) has provided university students with affordable, valuable study abroad programmes. USAC currently has more than fifty programmes in twenty-seven countries and students from any university are welcome to participate. In London I teach an interdisciplinary module in the history of conflict and its reconciliation throughout time. We approach the topic from a variety of angles, including history, war studies, international relations, politics, philosophy and sociology, to understand better concepts such as war, peace, reconciliation, nationalism and identity.

MEDIA & CONSULTANCY

I have worked with a range of different clients, from large production companies like the BBC and ZDF to smaller theatre production companies. I can comment on history and advise on how best to ensure historical accuracy and authenticity, whether for documentary or dramatisation purposes.

TALKS AND SEMINARS

In addition to presenting my research at academic seminars, I regularly give talks on a variety of topics at local history societies and in schools and colleges. I also lead workshops in schools and often speak to corporate bodies, for example London livery companies, on aspects of their institutional history.