I research and teach the history of early medieval northern Europe, from the end of the Roman Empire in the West (5th century) to the end of the Viking Age (11th century).
I studied for a BA in History and an MSt in Medieval Studies at Balliol College, Oxford, and then completed my PhD at UCL (2014). For my PhD research, I investigated viking identities in England and Normandy. After that, I joined the Empires of Faith project at the British Museum and University of Oxford (2013 to 2018), and co-curated the exhibition 'Imagining the Divine: Art and the Rise of World Religions' at the Ashmolean Museum.
I joined York St John in 2021, after periods teaching History at the Universities of York, Sheffield, and Oxford.
I am the Course Lead for the Liberal Arts Foundation Year, and draw on my interdisciplinary background to teach on all modules on this programme.
I teach a range of modules for History and War Studies students, including: HIS6003M Special Subject in Ancient History: Warriors and Peaceweavers? Men and Women in the Viking Age
I would be interested in supervising postgraduate students researching early medieval or Viking-Age history, or their modern reception.
My research explores the relationship between historical narratives and identity. My work intervenes in debates about the intergenerational transmission of bodily and personal characteristics in the Early Middle Ages, and their modern relevance.
My monograph, 'Heirs of the Vikings', and related articles, presented a comparison of viking identities in England and Normandy in the 10th and 11th centuries. By investigating a broad range of written sources, I argue for the importance of the local, political significance of the viking past and the strategic use of Scandinavian identity.
During my postdoctoral research on the Empires of Faith project (British Museum/University of Oxford), I began to work more with museum objects. I grew interested in how historical narratives were transmitted by means of material culture. I have recently published a chapter integrating approaches to texts and objects in the study of origin legends, which takes the Horn of Ulf in York Minster as a case study.
My latest research explores perceptions of the boundaries between cultural and biological inheritance in post-Roman Europe through a focus on infant feeding. I suggest that early medieval people were aware that infant feeding practices had significance to the identity and structure of their societies, and that they used breastfeeding and weaning as metaphors for cultural reproduction.
Recent publications
I am a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a Member of the Haskins Society and the Society for the Study of Childhood in the Past.
I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
I was co-curator of the Ashmolean exhibition 'Imagining the Divine: Art and the Rise of World Religions' (2017-18) and am committed to working with museum colleagues to inspire students and the public in their learning.
I have consulted for TV programmes and a book series on Viking-Age history.
