William Upcott Project
When Professor Mark Philp invited two students to work on the Upcott Diaries through the URSS (Undergraduate Research Support Scheme), none of them imagined the project would grow into a published volume with the Royal Historical Society — the GIS Sociability/Sociabilités Conference University of Western Brittany, BREST, France and a launch event in Paris!
Mark Philp, Aysuda Aykan and Curtis Leung introduce their new volume in the Royal Historical Society’s Camden Series, A Collector Collected: The Journals of William Upcott, 1803-1823, published in November 2025.
Chronicling Upcott's life and activities in London and the provinces, the diaries (1803-1823) offer a detailed, non-elite account of a London life and provide insights into collecting and cataloguing in the early nineteenth century.
The Diary of William Upcott
Read more here on the project website they developed:
Other URSS projects led by Professor Mark Philp include:
with Clare Clarke, published by Warwick in 2023.
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Catherine Hutton's Travel Diary (1779)
A Transcription Project with Anna Baula. Published by the Journal for Eighteenth Century Studies.
New Camden Series Volume Published
A Collector Collected: The Journals of William Upcott, 1803–1823, edited by Mark Philp, Aysuda Aykan, and Curtis Leung, is now available from Cambridge University Press.
The Introduction is free to read until 30 May 2026. New volume for the Royal Historical Society’s Camden Series, published in November 2025.
* Pictured above; Aysuda, Mark and Curtis at the conference dinner
About the editors (brief):
- Professor Mark Philp – Emeritus Professor of History & Politics at Warwick, specialist in Britain 1789–1815, democracy, and public life.
- Aysuda Aykan – Warwick History & Politics graduate; holds an MA in Public Policy from King’s College London.
- Curtis Leung – Warwick History & Philosophy graduate (2022); MA in Philosophy from King’s College London; now works in local government.
* Pictured above; Aysuda and Curtis speaking on a panel of early career researchers on "Upcott's Travelling Sociability" and "Women and Sociability in Upcott's Diary" at GIS Sociability/Sociabilités Conference University of Western Brittany, BREST, France.
With the support of Warwick’s Undergraduate Research Scheme, Curtis and I joined the project, never expecting where it might lead us. From Shugborough to Brest and finally Paris, we followed Mark as we worked to better understand Upcott and his world. Aysuda
From starting as ‘just’ a small undergraduate research project, it has now become a published academic book. The experience has been phenomenal! Curtis
* Pictured below Curtis, Aysuda and Mark
A Collector Collected: The Journals of William Upcott, 1803–1823 (November 2025).
Read more on the Royal Historical blog here:
Aysuda Aykan
I first encountered William Upcott during an online lecture given by Mark during the pandemic, quite possibly on Hegel, although it is hard to recall. Ironically, despite having worked on a diary for many years, I never thought to keep one myself.
The module (Individual, Polis, and Society) introduced us to historiographical sources such as diaries, including the work of Mary Prince, which initially piqued my interest in questions of authenticity and how individuals understood themselves.
Mark mentioned very early on that Upcott offered uniquely rich insight into the practices of sociability among young members of society at the lower end of the middling orders in London. In particular, Upcott’s peregrinations through the provinces which recorded detailed interactions, often involving courtship, within these less elite social circles.
With the support of Warwick’s Undergraduate Research Scheme, Curtis and I joined the project, never expecting where it might lead us. From Shugborough to Brest and finally Paris, we followed Mark as we worked to better understand Upcott and his world.
I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Mark. Mark was unfailing generous with his time and support, and the experience he gave us was invaluable.
Since graduating, I have gone on to work in public affairs at UK Finance, where the analytical and research skills I developed during this project continue to shape my work.
Aysuda Aykan - Warwick History and Politics Alumna 2022
Curtis Leung
A Collector Collected: The Journals of William Upcott, 1803-1823 first came about as a research project in my second undergraduate year, under the University of Warwick’s Undergraduate Research Support Scheme. During a lecture, Mark Philp had mentioned the opportunity to get involved with a diary transcription he was working on. Despite having little knowledge on diaries or the history of reflection, I thought it sounded like a good opportunity to undertake some work outside of my degree – partly to try and enrich my research experience in case of a future master’s application and partly because it was lockdown and I had time!
From starting as ‘just’ a small undergraduate research project, it has now become a published academic book. The experience has been phenomenal. I did, in the end, complete a master’s degree in Philosophy, where I was able to apply some of my knowledge of sociability in my thesis. I was also able to use the experience from the project as an example of my professional capability, which was useful when applying to jobs in a market which felt (and feels) so tough for recent graduates. I now work in the Chief Executive’s Office at the West Midlands Combined Authority after completing the Impact Local Government Graduate Programme.
Needless to say, without Mark, this project would not have been possible or nearly as fulfilling. Being able to pick Mark’s brain on the project and his wider views on history was invaluable – to be able to spend such vast amounts of time with a world class academic was a huge privilege. I have since kept in touch with Mark and, where our work has overlapped, he has been a fantastic mentor.
Curtis Leung - Warwick History and Philosophy Alumnus 2022
Willaim Upcott
