Emma Nelson

I am a PhD candidate in History at the University of Manchester, with a primary focus on the religious history of the long twelfth century. My thesis examines the twelfth-century library, intellectual and literary culture of Lincoln Cathedral; through a comprehensive survey of the library's catalogue and the surviving manuscripts held in the cathedral library and elsewhere, I make a new case for their significance to our understanding of English secular cathedrals during the twelfth century. My doctoral research is funded by the University of Manchester, and is supervised by Prof. Stephen Mossman and Prof. Paul Oldfield.

After completing my undergraduate degree in Classics at the University of Manchester, I undertook a master’s degree in Medieval and Early Modern Studies. My master’s dissertation examined the relationship between community and conflict in twelfth-century monastic chronicles, and I have recently published an article based on it in the Journal of Ecclesiastical History. I am also interested in the concept of ‘authenticity’ within historical re-enactment, and I am currently preparing a chapter on this theme for publication as part of the edited volume Performing Medievalism: Tips, Tricks and Tropes from Early Artistic Practice for the Modern-Day Performer.