Dr Elena Rossi
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elenarossi.bsky.social
Dr Elena Rossi
@elenarossi.bsky.social
DPhil in History from Magdalen College, Oxford | Medieval women and universities | PGR Rep at HistEdSocUK | Colloquium Secretary at London Medieval Society | she/her
Very excited for the @londonmedievalsoc.bsky.social’s first colloquium of the year on ’Women & Knowledge’! #medievalsky will you be joining us on 22nd November?

us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
November 10, 2025 at 9:57 AM
A hard day at the office:
August 28, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Spot the little dog flying with a massive stick…
August 28, 2025 at 7:54 AM
The many sleeping positions of Muffy Moo, ft the final look of “I’ve made mistakes”.

(Yes, the donut is back, this dog’s spay recovery has been a never-ending saga)
August 22, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Slinky returns to the local Facebook group. This cat has too much audacity..
August 19, 2025 at 11:26 AM
New job, same assistant
August 18, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Started my new job today and as part of the intro we had to share the most unusual food we had eaten. Of course, mine was the weird nun sweets we had in Seville. Our faces sum it up:
August 18, 2025 at 12:20 PM
A present for a friend: illuminated initial of us having a bath based on BnF Français 12323, f. 77r. Yes, there is gold foil all over the house now.
August 15, 2025 at 10:40 AM
And this scary dude guards the toilet
August 15, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Walked up the stairs to King’s College archives multiple times this week… how did I only just notice the dog with the massive dick and balls? Looks like they’ve either been restored or were added later, which is a choice in itself.
August 14, 2025 at 5:54 PM
On the final day in the archive, I thought I’d share all the different shapes and sizes of medieval college account records. The skinny books from King’s are cute but Peterhouse’s rolls were a joy to use 📜
August 14, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Alas, no female employees recorded at G&C (not really any servants recorded at all until the cook at the end of the fifteenth century). Doesn’t necessarily mean they weren’t working for the college 👀 For now, back to King’s where the laundress was paid very handsomely compared to some of her peers…
August 13, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Moved to Gonville and Caius where there aren’t as many surviving documents but if there’s no luck here, back to King’s!
August 13, 2025 at 2:01 PM
First archive of the day: King’s College. Always nice to be looking for laundresses with a pretty view.
August 13, 2025 at 9:36 AM
And then the afternoon in Trinity with some King’s Hall account books ft laundresses and some funky manicules 👇🏻
August 12, 2025 at 7:08 PM
I’m sure another student will make the most of it soon and decorate it with their things! But they won’t have these buddies:
August 12, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Back to the archives, this time in Cambridge! Tracking female employment in university colleges but was taken by John the Bookbinder who was responsible for repairing the vestments at Peterhouse in the early fifteenth century:
August 12, 2025 at 12:29 PM
After four years, I said goodbye to my much loved desk in the MCR office @magdalenoxford.bsky.social. Thank you for being my home throughout the DPhil.
August 12, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Pupside down
July 28, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Just a sleepy orange
July 28, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Forget about the cone of shame, it’s all about the orange of opportunity post spay
July 25, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Corrections done ✅
Thesis deposited ✅
Graduation booked ✅

To celebrate, I drew myself as my favourite day dreamer from the professorial tombs in Bologna 💁🏻‍♀️
July 25, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Back in the West Country for a little break and showing Muffin all the best sites for dog walking from my childhood.
July 16, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Another year, another set of slightly blurry and weirdly coloured photos from the IMC disco 🪩 #IMC2025
July 10, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Stopped at the cat cafe in Birmingham for lunch and may be bringing Milk to #IMC2025

📸: Alessandro Scalone
July 6, 2025 at 12:47 PM