Sixteenth Century Scholars

New Publication

The Reformation of England’s Past: John Foxe and the Revision of History in the Late Sixteenth Century

This book is a detailed examination of the sources and protocols John Foxe used to justify the Reformation, and claim that the Church of Rome had fallen into the grip of Antichrist. The focus is on the pre-Lollard, medieval history in the first two editions of the Acts and Monuments. Comparison of the narrative that Foxe writes to the possible sources helps us to better understand what it was that Foxe was trying to do, and how he came to achieve his aims. A focus on sources also highlights the collaborative circle in which Foxe worked, recognizing the essential role of other scholars and clerics such as John Bale and Matthew Parker.

The Reformation of England’s Past is available now as part of the Routledge Research in Early Modern History series. It can be ordered direct from Routledge, or from other bookshop such as Amazon (UK) (US) and Waterstones.    

 

 

Latest Post

The Reformation of England’s Past - There were those who believed that a reformation of religion could not be complete until a reformation of history had been attempted. They argued that the traditional story of early Christian conversion led by the divinely appointed leader of the Church, the Pope of Rome, was no longer valid. They claimed that the history of …

Early Modern Bees

A study of how knowledge was appropriated in the first printed beekeeping manuals and publications in England. This study examines knowledge and beliefs about the honey bee in the early modern period and examines developments in practice and understanding.

Passage: Writing about Walking in London, 1550-1950

What is the experience of walking around London and how can we understand it using historical printed sources? This joint-project between the Institute of Historical Research, Senate House Library, and School of Advanced Study, examines spaces, buildings, and people, through the prism of walking.

Blogging for Historians 

In 2012-13 I was awarded a scholarship by the Social Media Knowledge Exchange (SMKE) to study blogging best practices in the humanities by exchanging knowledge between humanities deparments, libraries, and archives. The project incorporated a series of audio and text interviews,  a survey of blogging practice, and the creation of a small toolkit to help postgraduate and early career researchers to make the best use out of blogs.

 

The Revision of History in Elizabethan England

My PhD focused on the revision of history undertaken by John Foxe in his Elizabethan Acts and Monuments. Specifically I examined the medieval and contemporary sources that Foxe most likely utilised to develop his arguments about the distant past. I continue to study this area of sixteenth-century historiography, expanding my scope to look at the works of other historians of the period.