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Durham MEMSA
@durhammemsa.bsky.social
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MEMSA is made up of postgraduate students from all disciplines working on the Medieval or Early Modern period at Durham University. ALL welcome at our events.
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Our next talk of term will be on Monday 10 November, featuring a presentation by Ido Kons from the University of Cambridge! He will be discussing "Manuscript Transmission and the Spread of Learning in Late Anglo-Saxon England, c. 950-1066." Come along to 7 Owengate at 6pm to hear his paper! ✨
Manuscript Transmission and the Spread of Learning in Late Anglo-Saxon England, c.950-1066 Ido Kons - University of Cambridge 6pm Monday 10 November 7 Owengate on Palace Green Everyone Welcome! The late Anglo-Saxon period (c.950-1066) is renowned as a golden age of learning, in which manuscript production, art, and scholarship reached heights not seen since the age of Bede. It also witnessed the rise of an impressively ornate style of Latin composition, commonly known as the ‘hermeneutic style’. Traditionally, this intellectual revival was seen as a result of the Benedictine Reform movement, which saw the reestablishment of monasteries cross England; it is now generally recognised that these developments postdate the reform, having roots in the reigns of King Alfred the Great (871-899) and his grandson Æthelstan (924-39), and the court school they established and maintained. This intellectual circle produced masterful works of art, such as the illumination of Æthelstan presenting a book to St Cuthbert in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College 183, which was gifted to Durham. This paper will explore the late Anglo-Saxon intellectual revival by analysing the important underlying process making it possible—manuscript transmission. Important manuscripts were carried from Æthelstan’s intellectual circle to the productive scriptoria at Canterbury, through which their texts were propagated to the rest of England, as far north as Durham, as far east as the Fenlands and as far west as Worcester. I will demonstrate that these, among others, formed the core of the emerging late Anglo-Saxon monastic curriculum. By analysing manuscript transmission, I will argue, we can see the ways in which knowledge was formulated, exchanged and received across institutions in this formative period in the history of the British Isles.
October 31, 2025 at 5:39 PM
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🎺 HEAR YE, HEAR YE! 🎺
We are proud to announce the official MEMSA seminar series term card for this autumn!

Make sure to put the dates in your calendar so you don't miss our amazing speakers! We can't wait to see you there!
Mondays 6pm at 7 Owengate Monday 13 October Isaiah Silvers (Durham University) Auxilios: "Reform" and "Aid" in the Hospital Institutions of New Spain, c. 1730-1770 Monday 27 October Lottie Thompson (Durham University) Medieval Durham and the Ancient World: Lawrence of Durham’s Dialogi and Virgil’s Eclogues and Georgics. Monday 24 November Alastair Forbes (Independent Scholar) The Vision of Boso and Moral Soundscapes in Simeon of Durham's Libellus de exordio Monday 10 November Ido Kons (University of Cambridge) Manuscript Transmission and the Spread of Learning in Late Anglo-Saxon England, c.950-1066 Monday 8 December Eugenia Vorobeva (University of Oxford) Devil in the Detail: Language and Laughter in the Passio Domini Homily
October 24, 2025 at 10:05 PM
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Our next talk of term will be from our other co-chair from last year, the amazing Lottie Thompson! She will be presenting on "Medieval Durham and the Ancient World: Lawrence of Durham’s Dialogi and Virgil’s Eclogues and Georgics."

See her talk on Monday, 27 October at 6p, 7 Owengate! See you there!
Medieval Durham and the Ancient World: Lawrence of Durham’s Dialogi and Virgil’s Eclogues and Georgics. ‘If it is the rocks, if it is the beasts, if it is the other things of this vast grove that you wish to know, what Virgil could sing of so much?’ Lawrence of Durham (d. 1154) was an Anglo-Latin poet and monk living in Durham in the first half of the twelfth century. In his day Lawrence’s writing was widely circulated, but unfortunately this popularity did not stand the test of time and today he is very little known. This paper will introduce you to the works and world of this major regional author more generally, before focusing on one of Lawrence’s poems, the Dialogi – a verse dialogue written around 1143. This paper will explore how Lawrence’s knowledge of both Virgil’s Eclogues and Georgics expressly shaped his writing on medieval Durham in this poem, particularly concerning his exploration of the topography of the city and the ongoing socio-political conflicts of the day. 6p Monday 27 October 7 Owengate on Palace Green Everyone Welcome!
October 20, 2025 at 7:12 PM
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Do you want to stay up to date on all things medieval and early modern at Durham? Join the weekly MEMSA email list! ✨

The manual URL is forms.office.com/e/KPARhd0Cmf

(Also I'm an AI anti but the ✨ emoji was mine first, sue me—)
October 16, 2025 at 4:06 PM
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Do YOU want to be on the MEMSA exec? ✨ We're looking for two community course convenors this year! If you're interested in getting involved, send an email to memsa.committe@durham.ac.uk by Friday, 24th October! We look forward to having you join us! 💕
Durham University’s Medieval and Early Modern Student Association (MEMSA) is an interdisciplinary student-run association attended by postgraduate students in the faculties of English, History, Archaeology, MLAC, Art History, and more. We are currently looking for expressions of interest from all postgraduate students who may wish to join the MEMSA Committee for the current 2025/26 academic year. The MEMSA Community Course: Taking place during the spring/Easter term, the MEMSA Community Course involves eight evening sessions and brings together researchers and the local community. Courses tend to run for two hours, with each session run by a different tutor. While usually the class will take a lecture/seminar format, this is flexible; creativity and collaboration are encouraged, and a call for tutors will be sent out later in the academic year. Community Course Convenors: The community course convenors are responsible for organising the above course, including choosing the theme, applying for funding, advertising for speakers, and compiling the final programme. This position is usually shared between two people, so you can apply individually or as a pair. If you are interested in applying, or if you have any questions, please email memsa.committee@durham.ac.uk with a brief statement about your interest and how you think you could contribute to the role. No CV is required, and we welcome applications from all Durham medieval and early modern enthusiasts, regardless of previous experience. Any new committee member will be supported in the transition to their new role by the outgoing and continuing committee members. DEADLINE: Friday 24th October
October 14, 2025 at 11:56 PM
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Our first talk of this year's Michaelmas term will be delivered by one of the MEMSA chairs from last year, Isaiah Silvers! He will be discussing 'Auxilios: "Reform" and "Aid" in the Hospital Institutions of New Spain, c. 1730-1770'.

Hope to see you all on Monday 13th October at 6pm!
Auxilios: ‘Reform’ and ‘Aid’ in the Hospital Institutions of New Spain, c. 1730-1770 Isaiah Silvers - Durham University 6p Monday 13 October 7 Owengate on Palace Green Everyone Welcome! In the midst of the reformist atmosphere of the mid-eighteenth-century Spanish Empire a significant part of the administration of the vast viceroyalty of New Spain involved the management of an extensive system of hospital institutions. These included foundling homes, lazarettos, almshouses, and multi-purpose casas de misericordia. This paper investigates how metropolitan ideologies of reform were transmitted and transformed by colonial officials and hospital administrators in New Spain. Through this inquiry, I will propose some alternative models to the received narrative of church-crown competition. Principally, I will suggest that new poor relief practices of this period in New Spain, proceeding through ad-hoc coalitions, contributed the growth of associational cultures among propertied criollos, who in turn deployed the voguish notions of ‘reform’ and ‘aid’ to promote mercantile liberalisation, defend chattel slavery, and enforce racial exclusions in the civic sphere.
October 6, 2025 at 12:50 AM
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We will be holding our first social of the year at the oldest pub in Durham on Tuesday 7th October at 7pm.

Everyone is welcome, whether you are studying the medieval or early modern period or just interested in it! Come along to meet some fellow postgrads and celebrate the new academic year!
We are excited to announce the first MEMSA social of the year will take place on Tuesday, 7th October at 7pm at the Dun Cow (Snug Bar), the oldest pub in Durham. If you're new to MEMSA, we are Durham University's Medieval and Early Modern Student Association. MEMSA is an interdisciplinary association attended by postgraduate students in the departments of English, History, Archaeology, MLAC, Art History, and more. Everyone is welcome at the social! Whether you are studying the medieval or early modern period yourself or are just interested in it, it’s a great chance to meet some other postgrads with similar interests at Durham! See you there!
September 26, 2025 at 12:21 PM
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We are pleased to announce submissions are OPEN for this year's MEMSA seminar series!

Submit your abstract of <250 words to our email by Sunday 5th October. Please check the post for further details.

We look forward to reading all applications, and we can't wait to see you there!
MEMSA Seminar Series Call for Papers: Durham University's Medieval and Early Modern Student Association (MEMSA) is an interdisciplinary student-run association attended by postgraduate students in the faculties of English, History, Archaeology, MLAC, Art History, and more. We are excited to announce we are now accepting applications for speakers to present in the biweekly MEMSA Seminar Series for the 2025 to 2026 academic year. Our seminars take place in person at 6pm on alternating Monday evenings of term at the IMEMS department headquarters in 7 Owengate. We welcome submissions of 20-30 minute papers from postgraduate students and early career professionals on any topic in any discipline involved in the study of the medieval and early modern periods. Papers should be accessible for a non-specialist academic audience, and the presentation will be followed by approximately 10 minutes for questions and responses. We also happily provide tea and biscuits before the paper begins. If you are interested in presenting, please send a proposal or abstract of no more than 250 words to the MEMSA team at memsa.committee@durham.ac.uk Please also include a brief biographical statement of up to 100 words with your application. DEADLINE: Sunday 5th October X/Twitter @durhamMEMSA Facebook facebook.com/durhammemsa/ bluesky @durhammemsa.bsky.social instagram @durhammemsa website durhammemsa.wordpress.com
September 12, 2025 at 8:56 PM
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MEMSA Conference 2025

Final photo of the conference, thank you to everyone who came over the two days - whether for the whole conference or popped in for part of it.

Safe journey home
July 22, 2025 at 4:10 PM
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And that's a wrap, thank you to everyone who has been involved in the conference this year!
July 22, 2025 at 4:07 PM
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‘Creatures of Power: Animals, Ecology and Humanity in the Medieval World’
July 22, 2025 at 2:34 PM
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While at the same time delegates are also hearing from Dr Victoria Burns-Price, Dr Daniella Zaidman-Mauer and Dr Grace Catherine Greiner on ‘More than Meets the Eye: Imagining and Imagined Connections between Magic and the Natural World;
July 22, 2025 at 1:15 PM
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It is now time for the final session of the conference. Our first panel is titled ‘Creatures of Power: Animals, Ecology and Humanity in the Medieval World’ with Rosalind Philips-Solomon, Jennifer Coulton and Amanda Boeing.
July 22, 2025 at 1:13 PM
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‘The Green Arcana: Herbs as Tools of Transformation in Magic and Ritual’
July 22, 2025 at 11:58 AM
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In the castle, we are also hosting a session on ‘Publishing Your Research For Postgraduate and Early Career Professionals’ in association with Boydell and Brewer.
July 22, 2025 at 10:59 AM
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After a busy morning, are are now at the fifth panel of the conference with ‘The Green Arcana: Herbs as Tools of Transformation in Magic and Ritual’ with Aphrodite Skarpa, Gretchin Kepplinger and Heather Taylor
July 22, 2025 at 10:59 AM
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Our keynote from Dr Yarí Pérez-Marín
July 22, 2025 at 10:00 AM
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MEMSA Conference ‘Poetry as Natural Philosophy: Reimagining Life and Death in Verse’
July 22, 2025 at 9:12 AM
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Simultaneously in the Castle, there are papers from Emily Whittingham, Maria Del Mar Yunis and Kenzie Scott in the panel ‘Poetry as Natural Philosophy: Reimagining Life and Death in Verse’
July 22, 2025 at 8:02 AM
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July 22, 2025 at 8:01 AM
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July 22, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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Alongside hosting the conference in Durham Castle, our other panel is held in 7 Owengate, the home for the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Here are some of our talks taking place there yesterday
July 22, 2025 at 7:59 AM
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Kicking off proceedings bright and early on day 2 of our conference we have the first panel on: ‘Myths and Legends: Exploring the Boundaries of Folklore and Science’ with papers from Valentina Majolo, Thomas Banbury and Charles Marshall.
July 22, 2025 at 7:48 AM
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We are rounding up our panels for the day. Here are some more pictures from our speakers from sessions held in the Bishop's Dining Room in Durham Castle
July 21, 2025 at 4:19 PM
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At the same time we have ‘Gardens of Resistance: Fertility, Faith, and Female Agency’ with speakers Jessica Weiss, Charlotte Whitney-Brown, Nanna Emtoft and Ana Aldazabal
July 21, 2025 at 3:07 PM