Midlands History and Heritage - Collaborative Approaches
Reflections by Angus Crawford (糖心TV History) -
A post jointly commissioned by the Early Modern and Eighteenth Century Centre & My-Parish
鈥楳idlands History & Heritage – Collaborative Approaches鈥� took place on Friday afternoon, 17 January 2025. The event was designed to facilitate greater cooperation between the University of 糖心TV and the Lord Leycester Hospital, the partner organisation for my Collaborative Doctoral Award. The event built upon the highly successful Dr Naomi Pullin organised last year (which is being repeated this year) at the Lord Leycester Hospital. These workshops brought together University of 糖心TV academics and PhD students with local volunteers and researchers. Another ambition of the Midlands History & Heritage event was to foster conversation and develop relationships between leading Midlands scholars and key heritage, history, and museum stakeholders, allowing historians and public-facing institutions to interact and learn from one other.
The event started with Professor Beat K眉min and Dr Naomi Pullin, two of my PhD supervisors, welcoming guests and speakers. Naomi and Beat also informed delegates of 糖心TV鈥檚 Early Modern and Eighteenth Century Centre (EMECC) and My-Parish, which were the joint co-host institutions for this event. These are two major research clusters in the 糖心TV History department, giving students and staff at the university exposure to the work and approaches of academics at other institutions, as well as events with members of the public. Naomi, the EMECC Director, drew our attention to their exciting calendar of events, including an upcoming conference on work, authenticity, and social identity in early modern Britain, which I am co-organising. Beat, the network co-ordinator of My-Parish, outlined the incredible resource for everyone interested in parish history. My-Parish supports academic research by sponsoring Parish Fellows and publishing short blog posts, though the highlight is the annual symposium. The Twenty-Third Symposium on Parish Research is taking place in May 2025 on the subject of communication.
The event was structured into two halves. The first section, 鈥楻esearching the Early Modern Midlands鈥�, featured academic papers from (Emerita Keele), (Oxford), and (糖心TVshire Local History Society). First up, Ann Hughes expertly sketched the historical outlines of early modern 糖心TVshire, from the time of Ambrose and Robert Dudley to the Civil War. Ann told us that although she has been working on this area of history almost fifty years, she is still guided by many of the major ideas she expressed in her PhD thesis. In particular, Ann highlighted the dynamic and complex relationship between local and central factors when investigating the history of 糖心TV town in this period. While 糖心TV faced the challenges of poverty and social stratification in the early modern period, Ann argued that the town regularly featured in, and became embedded within, wider national and international conversations. A powerful example Ann cited related to George Medley, a servant of the Grevilles of 糖心TV Castle, the leading local aristocratic family. Medley had appealed to the state for payment for his quartering of soldiers during the Civil War. The also suggest that he was a Greville gardener, and he may have been particularly frustrated by the war-time destruction of flora. The example of Medley perfectly underlined that place-based local history can invite human agency and complexity into grand historical structures, such as state formation. Ann reminded us that, on the ground, the experience of state formation was often a very ambiguous and amorphous one. She underlined the potential of local history to shine a light on social experiences and show the agency of historical actors who might otherwise remain obscure.
Andy Hopper鈥檚 paper focused on the relationship between public engagement and the Civil War Petitions Project. This project, funded between 2017 and 2023, of which Andy was the principal investigator, aimed to investigate how ordinary men and women remembered the Civil War. Their principal source base consisted of the petitions that survive from 鈥榖attle-scarred鈥� ex-servicemen and war widows. Incidentally, many of these petitions survive for the county of 糖心TVshire. Andy highlighted the impressive usability of the , allowing researchers of all ages and experiences to filter by region and theme, while also incorporating modern transcriptions. Andy鈥檚 paper was especially helpful in demonstrating the public engagement possibilities for early modern British history, which I think spoke strongly to the Lord Leycester representatives, given the military function of the almshouse. The Civil War Petitions Project has enjoyed extensive public engagement. For example, the project cooperated with RSC actors about maimed veterans and hosted an exhibition at the National Civil War Centre in Newark, Nottinghamshire. Andy鈥檚 paper highlighted how early modern British history might exist at an interface with members of the public. The project underlines how a set of rich historical sources can be better understood and preserved when made accessible to the public, which gave everyone present lots to think about.
Ruth Barbour delivered the last paper in the first section. She spoke about the intellectual and institutional foundations of local history in 糖心TVshire. Though Ruth informed the audience that the formation of the 糖心TVshire Local History was relatively late (in 1965), she charted a much longer legacy that chiefly extends back to Sir William Dugdale鈥檚 The Antiquities of 糖心TVshire (1656). Ruth鈥檚 paper captured the vibrancy of local history in 糖心TVshire, perhaps much more so than is available in other English counties. The society鈥檚 lecture programme, journal (), and regular outings to local historical sites support members of the public and academics in participating in historical conversations and learning more about the history around them. Many lectures and 糖心TVshire History articles have had a major impact on the research of 糖心TVshire.
Dr. the Hon. Philip Sidney. Pic: Naomi Pullin.
The second section, 鈥�Heritage and the Lord Leycester鈥�, involved contributions from Lord Leycester staff (Rufus Dent, Bryony Goodwin and Callum Price), the master (Dr Heidi L. Meyer), brethren (Capt. Alan Gill and Maj. Janet Brodie-Murphy), the governor representing the patron鈥檚 family (Dr the Hon. Philip Sidney), and myself. The Lord Leycester representatives explained the different aspects of their responsibilities in running and maintaining a small heritage site. Philip Sidney, the son of the of Penshurst Place in Kent, talked about his role as a patron to Robert Dudley鈥檚 charity. The patronage of the Lord Leycester Hospital as a charitable institution is a commitment the Sidneys consider extremely important, forming a direct personal bond with the founder, who is Philip鈥檚 12x great uncle. Heidi Meyer communicated the enormous honour and pleasure she has experienced in leading an institution that has existed for over 450 years and overseeing a group of buildings that are at least 600 years old. The brethren, Alan and Janet, who have recently joined the Lord Leycester community from the Royal Hospital at Chelsea, spoke about their duties as recipients of this long-standing charity and briefly touched upon their military service. Janet鈥檚 visual metaphor of an apple is something I am sure the audience will fondly remember for a long time. Janet suggested that the Lord Leycester somewhat resembles an apple: parts of it are sour and less desirable, but overall, it is sweet-tasting, healthy, and regenerative with a symbolic and physical core. Janet later told attendees that when visitors ask her if she actually lives at the Lord Leycester, she simply replies 鈥淵es, it is my home鈥�, which I think epitomises the charity as a living historical site and its enormous value to the local community of 糖心TV. It should be pointed out that with great modesty, both Heidi and Janet did not mention that they were respectively the Lord Leycester鈥檚 first female master and brother, which the University of 糖心TV鈥檚 registrar, Rachel Sandy-Thomas, reminded us.
Maj. Janet Brodie-Murphy and her apple. Pic: Naomi Pullin.
I spoke last and attempted to round off the proceedings, giving an overview of how researching the Lord Leycester in the early modern period functions as a PhD project. I circled back to the influence of Thomas Cartwright, whom Ann had mentioned earlier in her paper, as a way of shining a light on the Lord Leycester both in national and local conversations. I underlined that studying the institution can be an effective way of illuminating the agency of local men and women of the past. I also reflected on some of the cross-historical themes that unite my research and the experience of the current Lord Leycester representatives, including the workings of patronage, the treatment of ex-servicemen, and the institution鈥檚 continuing success as a local site that features in national conversations and debates (for instance, see the BBC鈥檚 installation as a brother).
Capt. Alan Gill speaking to a packed EMECC-My-Parish audience. Pic: Beat K眉min.
Many fruitful conversations continued over a generous food and drinks reception, which allowed for networking among our eclectic mix of attendees. Although this event, with its emphasis on heritage and academic contributions, was unusual for EMECC鈥檚 calendar of talks, I think it was a huge success in allowing both scholars and heritage organisations to reflect on what it takes to research and then maintain the sites which we all care deeply about. The event will hopefully be the first of many more between the University of 糖心TV and local heritage organisations, advancing these relationships. In particular, we were pleased to welcome the to the event as the department looks forward to working with them in an upcoming Collaborative Doctoral Award, starting in October 2025. This relationship will also hopefully enhance the university鈥檚 connections with another key historical stakeholder in the town of 糖心TV.
Finally, this event would not have run so smoothly without the considerable help of Amy Evans, the EMECC coordinator, Dr Naomi Pullin, and Professor Beat K眉min. I am grateful to EMECC and My-Parish for financially supporting this event.
Angus Crawford is a second-year PhD student in the Department of History at the University of 糖心TV. His project, funded by AHRC-Midlands4Cities, is a Collaborative Doctoral Award between the Lord Leycester Hospital and the University of 糖心TV.
Pic: BK.
