Dr Nicola Clark
@nikkiclark86.bsky.social
Writer, occasional talking head, Senior Lecturer in Medieval and Early Modern History at the University of Chichester. Autistic. Views own, etc. She/her.
House move update: we're in! But what do you do when you don't have enough lamps and would rather die than put the big light on? GO TUDOR and bounce candlelight off shiny things. Thank you, George Cavendish, for your banquet descriptions.
February 7, 2026 at 8:48 PM
House move update: we're in! But what do you do when you don't have enough lamps and would rather die than put the big light on? GO TUDOR and bounce candlelight off shiny things. Thank you, George Cavendish, for your banquet descriptions.
Srsly NYT c'mon
February 4, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Srsly NYT c'mon
Three of us built three beds today and my lower back has gone to the place where bones die.
January 25, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Three of us built three beds today and my lower back has gone to the place where bones die.
Considering doctoring some 'fragile' labels to say 'fragile AND SPIKY'
January 24, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Considering doctoring some 'fragile' labels to say 'fragile AND SPIKY'
A query that came out of choir rehearsal this evening: was there Protestant presence in C17 Italy? Was it large and me ignorant? Very secret?
January 22, 2026 at 9:42 PM
A query that came out of choir rehearsal this evening: was there Protestant presence in C17 Italy? Was it large and me ignorant? Very secret?
That feeing when you're updating teaching sessions, you reach for a book thinking ah, perfect, this will have the latest stuff on X topic in the bibliography...and the bibliography is of primary sources only 😩
#HungryForHistoriography
#HungryForHistoriography
January 22, 2026 at 3:55 PM
That feeing when you're updating teaching sessions, you reach for a book thinking ah, perfect, this will have the latest stuff on X topic in the bibliography...and the bibliography is of primary sources only 😩
#HungryForHistoriography
#HungryForHistoriography
The problem with packing is that everything that was once stored away is now in boxes and there's nowhere for the boxes to be
January 22, 2026 at 11:24 AM
The problem with packing is that everything that was once stored away is now in boxes and there's nowhere for the boxes to be
House looking gorgeous. Moving early Feb. Packing nightmares have begun. Am also floored by awful cramps- very upsetting the way we are punished for being women trying to be contraceptively responsible 😩
January 19, 2026 at 3:09 PM
House looking gorgeous. Moving early Feb. Packing nightmares have begun. Am also floored by awful cramps- very upsetting the way we are punished for being women trying to be contraceptively responsible 😩
'Balls, I just found a ukulele.'
Quote of the day from my housemate, who is packing.
Quote of the day from my housemate, who is packing.
January 14, 2026 at 5:06 PM
'Balls, I just found a ukulele.'
Quote of the day from my housemate, who is packing.
Quote of the day from my housemate, who is packing.
Tfw you accidentally put your hair in a much higher, tighter bun than you intended and now you feel like Miss Hardbroom from The Worst Witch books
January 10, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Tfw you accidentally put your hair in a much higher, tighter bun than you intended and now you feel like Miss Hardbroom from The Worst Witch books
Back on my bullshit
January 9, 2026 at 1:06 PM
Back on my bullshit
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
Someone’s not looked at a single early modern history book before opening their mouth, clearly. By 1600, over 4,000 immigrants lived in England’s second largest city, Norwich - one in three people in the city had not been born in England.
I just heard a law professor claim in a recording that in early modern England, there wasn’t any significant migration to the British Isles, which is just plainly wrong.
January 8, 2026 at 12:03 PM
Someone’s not looked at a single early modern history book before opening their mouth, clearly. By 1600, over 4,000 immigrants lived in England’s second largest city, Norwich - one in three people in the city had not been born in England.
Do I know anyone who knows about furniture restoration? There's a thing I want to bid on, but it needs some love and I don't know what's possible
January 8, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Do I know anyone who knows about furniture restoration? There's a thing I want to bid on, but it needs some love and I don't know what's possible
Carpets chosen and booked, front door ordered, all bits for second electrical fix arriving today, moving day confirmed and movers booked. It's all happening!
Oh yeah and I should probably also do some work?
Oh yeah and I should probably also do some work?
January 8, 2026 at 10:59 AM
Carpets chosen and booked, front door ordered, all bits for second electrical fix arriving today, moving day confirmed and movers booked. It's all happening!
Oh yeah and I should probably also do some work?
Oh yeah and I should probably also do some work?
Can’t wait for this!!
Delighted to say that there will be lots going on in 2026!
To kick it off, I'll be in discussion with @nikkiclark86.bsky.social on Friday 29 Jan - this is a FREE ONLINE EVENT, so register your place now!
ashlandmass.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/vir...
To kick it off, I'll be in discussion with @nikkiclark86.bsky.social on Friday 29 Jan - this is a FREE ONLINE EVENT, so register your place now!
ashlandmass.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/vir...
Virtual - The Dudleys and the Howards with Authors and Historians Joanne Paul and Nicola Clark
This one is for our history buffs out there! Join authors and historians Joanne Paul and Nicola Clark (both of whom we've hosted before!) as they discuss their books,
ashlandmass.assabetinteractive.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Can’t wait for this!!
Friends fear she's browsing furniture again. House needs things. I want to buy secondhand/vintage/antique, because it's cost, environment, and aesthetically efficient and because I have a thing for arts and crafts era stuff.
Other than eBay, where would you look?
Other than eBay, where would you look?
January 5, 2026 at 10:04 PM
Friends fear she's browsing furniture again. House needs things. I want to buy secondhand/vintage/antique, because it's cost, environment, and aesthetically efficient and because I have a thing for arts and crafts era stuff.
Other than eBay, where would you look?
Other than eBay, where would you look?
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
At what point will a brave university simply tell its staff to stop applying for grants, and just fund their research or give them time to write instead. I'm sure it would cost less than all that wasted staff time.
'ok I'll read one article on something before starting on my grant proposal'
the article:
the article:
This report in Nature on the costs of competing for & administering scientific grants is shocking: "In other words, European taxpayers will have spent more on the funding process than on the funding itself, and the scientific ecosystem has been drained." www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
January 2, 2026 at 1:40 PM
At what point will a brave university simply tell its staff to stop applying for grants, and just fund their research or give them time to write instead. I'm sure it would cost less than all that wasted staff time.
My bestie wrote a book! It's beautiful and incredible and hilarious and profound and you should all go and get it immediately.
January 2, 2026 at 2:24 PM
My bestie wrote a book! It's beautiful and incredible and hilarious and profound and you should all go and get it immediately.
Today I am at least trying to organise the overwhelm train before I ride it over the next couple of months.
- Finishing house renovation
- House move
- Pile of marking (lands right around house move obvs)
- Semester 2, with 3 hour sessions instead of 2
- At least one public talk
🫠
- Finishing house renovation
- House move
- Pile of marking (lands right around house move obvs)
- Semester 2, with 3 hour sessions instead of 2
- At least one public talk
🫠
January 2, 2026 at 11:34 AM
Today I am at least trying to organise the overwhelm train before I ride it over the next couple of months.
- Finishing house renovation
- House move
- Pile of marking (lands right around house move obvs)
- Semester 2, with 3 hour sessions instead of 2
- At least one public talk
🫠
- Finishing house renovation
- House move
- Pile of marking (lands right around house move obvs)
- Semester 2, with 3 hour sessions instead of 2
- At least one public talk
🫠
I'm the nearest thing my department HAS to a medievalist 🫠
Indeed. I work in a department that teaches/researches history from c.1000 to the present, and medievalists, whilst covering about 50% of that period, currently only account for c.10% of colleagues, my humble self included.
Excessive modernism - departments unbalanced towards the study of modern history - is the crop-blight of history departments and has long been so.
Modern history and modernists are valuable and important, of course, but the ratios have long since skewed absurdly in favor of modern history.
Modern history and modernists are valuable and important, of course, but the ratios have long since skewed absurdly in favor of modern history.
December 31, 2025 at 8:59 AM
I'm the nearest thing my department HAS to a medievalist 🫠
Betwixtmas is weird af every year. This year I'm finding myself working quite hard to keep the inevitable 'this time last year things were Bad' at a dull roar. The anniversary effect is real
December 30, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Betwixtmas is weird af every year. This year I'm finding myself working quite hard to keep the inevitable 'this time last year things were Bad' at a dull roar. The anniversary effect is real
Aaaaaaaahahaha. I have indeed got another cold. And now I must get rid of it in order to see vulnerable people over Christmas. As if the whole Christmas debacle wasn't stressful enough.
December 16, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Aaaaaaaahahaha. I have indeed got another cold. And now I must get rid of it in order to see vulnerable people over Christmas. As if the whole Christmas debacle wasn't stressful enough.
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
Very rarely does a post warrant all caps, but: SEARCHABLE INTERIM MANUSCRIPTS CATALOGUE. At long last! searcharchives.bl.uk
British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue
searcharchives.bl.uk
December 15, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Very rarely does a post warrant all caps, but: SEARCHABLE INTERIM MANUSCRIPTS CATALOGUE. At long last! searcharchives.bl.uk
Oh god iCloud is yelling at me about backing up and saying it's full. Must I use it? I pay for Dropbox already.
December 12, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Oh god iCloud is yelling at me about backing up and saying it's full. Must I use it? I pay for Dropbox already.
Reposted by Dr Nicola Clark
IT NEVER WORKS. NEVER. EVER. NEVER WORKS. IT HAS NEVER WORKED. AUSTERITY LEADS TO ENROLLMENT COLLAPSE LEAVES TO UNIVERSITY CLOSURE. EVERY TIME. ALWAYS.
December 9, 2025 at 4:55 PM
IT NEVER WORKS. NEVER. EVER. NEVER WORKS. IT HAS NEVER WORKED. AUSTERITY LEADS TO ENROLLMENT COLLAPSE LEAVES TO UNIVERSITY CLOSURE. EVERY TIME. ALWAYS.