Angus Crawford
Research
I am a second-year PhD student in History at the University of Warwick funded by AHRC-Midlands4Cities. My project is a Collaborative Doctoral Award between the University of Warwick and the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick. I am supervised by Dr Naomi Pullin and Professor Beat Kümin at Warwick and Dr Angela Nicholls, who is representing the Lord Leycester. The Lord Leycester Hospital was founded in 1571 by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, one of the key figures at Elizabeth I’s court, and by 1585, the ordinances stated that the almshouse would house twelve poor, aged or maimed soldiers under the supervision of a master. The Lord Leycester still functions as an almshouse for ex-soldiers to this day, and it has undergone significant renovation in recent months.
I plan on looking at the Lord Leycester as a prism to study broader issues concerning elite and popular culture in early modern England. I am particularly interested in notions of disability, materiality, military identity, philanthropy, popular politics, and town relations.
Other Research Interests
I am also interested in the social and cultural history of early modern London, especially the relatively understudied suburbs. I completed my master's dissertation on landscape and space in St Olave's parish in east Southwark, which Dr Ian Archer supervised.
Academic Background
- 2023-27 PhD in History, University of Warwick
- 2022-23 MSt in Early Modern History, St Hugh's College, Oxford
- Clarendon Scholar – fully-funded scholarship covering course fees and living expenses.
- 2019-22 BA in History, University of Durham
- Recipient of the Alumni Prize (2021) – awarded to the student with the best performance in the second year examinations.
Research trips, external activities and visits
- Hong Kong – ‘Thomas Cartwright, Gender, and the Lord Leycester Hospital in Tudor Warwick’, Making Modern Identities: 13th Spring History Symposium, University of Hong Kong, 3-4 May 2024.
- Dresden (Germany) – Between the 4 and 8 November 2024, I was a visiting scholar at TU Dresden in Germany. My trip was kindly supported by the Eutopia scheme, of which the University of Warwick and TU Dresden are members. This trip helped build on a strong existing relationship between Warwick and Dresden as I participated in meetings to plan and coordinate a future Eutopia summer school, as well as discussing ways in which we might further enhance the connections between our two universities. Academically, I was able to make the most of Dresden’s considerable expertise in early modern European history. I participated in fruitful and stimulating conversations and workshops with my host Dr Alexander Kästner, as well as Prof Dr Hannes Ziegler and fellow PhD student, Christine Gerwin. I am grateful to my supervisor Prof Beat Kümin for recommending me for this opportunity.
- Rome (Italy) – Between the 9 and 16 March 2025, I will be a visiting scholar at the M4C British School at Rome workshop ‘Rome: Changing Landscapes of the Eternal City’, supported by an Engagement Fund Application.
- In Spring 2025, I will be completing a three-month internship with the Ministry of Justice as a result of my successful application through the UKRI Policy Internships Scheme.
Conference papers
- ‘“Problematising the Suburbs”: Landscape and the Environment in St Olave, Southwark, c. 1550-1700’, Warwick Department of History: Work in Progress – History PG Sessions, University of Warwick, 27 November 2023.
- ‘Thomas Cartwright, Gender, and the Lord Leycester Hospital in Tudor Warwick’, Making Modern Identities: 13th Spring History Symposium, University of Hong Kong, 3-4 May 2024.
- ‘Thomas Cartwright, Puritanism, and Robert Dudley’s Almshouse in Tudor Warwick, c. 1585-1603’, New Voices in Midlands History, Kellogg College, Oxford, 8 June 2024.
- ‘Thomas Cartwright, Puritanism, and Robert Dudley’s Almhouse in Tudor Warwick, c. 1585-1603’, 48th Annual Conference: Social History Society, Durham University, 8-10 July 2024.
- ‘Robert Dudley and his Almshouse: Military Identity, Veterans, and the Elizabethan Church, 1571-1603’, Ecclesiastical History Society Summer Conference 2024: The Church and the Military, Durham University, 23-5 July 2024.
Public engagement activities
- ‘Manorial and Urban Records’ session with Daniel Gettings session for ‘Researching Ordinary People of the Early Modern Period’. Seminar as part of workshop series, in collaboration with Dr Naomi Pullin and the Lord Leycester Hospital, my PhD partner organisation. 19 February 2024.
- ‘Robert Dudley, Thomas Cartwright, and the early years of the Lord Leycester’, Lord Leycester Hospital Smart Talk Series. 21 November 2024.
- Organiser of ‘Midlands History and Heritage – Collaborative Approaches’ event at the University of Warwick. Papers from Prof Ann Hughes, Prof Andrew Hopper, and Dr Ruth Barbour with roundtable discussion from Lord Leycester master, staff, and governor. See the report here. 17 January 2025.
Event organisation
- Co-organiser with Kristi Flake, Miia Kuha, and Beat Kümin of ‘Parish Memory: Twenty-Second Warwick Symposium on Parish Research’. See report co-authored with Kristi Flake here. 11 May 2024.
- Organiser of ‘Midlands History and Heritage – Collaborative Approaches’ event at the University of Warwick. Papers from Prof Ann Hughes, Prof Andrew Hopper, and Dr Ruth Barbour with roundtable discussion from Lord Leycester master, staff, and governor. See the report here. 17 January 2025.
- Co-organiser with Anna Pravdica (Warwick) and Daniel Muddimer (Birmingham) of ‘Work, Authenticity and Social Identity in Early Modern Britain (c.1500-1750)’. Keynote speakers Prof Steve Hindle, Prof Jane Whittle, and Dr Mark Hailwood & Dr Brodie Waddell. Funded by the Early Modern and Eighteenth Century Centre at the University of Warwick. 10-11 June 2025.
Teaching
- Graduate Teaching Assistant (seminar tutor), Deviance and Nonconformity in Early Modern Europe, University of Warwick, 2024-5.
Publications
- 'Parish Memory' Twenty-Second Warwick Symposium on Parish Research, Conference Report, co-authored with Kristi Flake, H/Solz/Kult (11/5/24).