Research

Medieval Guilds

Claire is interested in the multifaceted role that parish guilds played in the lives of their members and communities. These voluntary organisations proliferated from the mid-fourteenth century until their dissolution in the mid-sixteenth century and acted as additional outlets for expressions of popular piety, forums for regulating behaviour and as means of fundraising for the parish and governing the towns in which they were situated. In particular Claire’s research examines how guilds were used to express individual and group identities. Her published work on medieval guilds includes:

‘On the Threshold? The Role of Women in Lincolnshire’s Late Medieval Parish Guilds’ in Gender in Medieval Places, Spaces and Thresholds, eds. Diane Heath, Victoria Blue & Einat Klafter (Institute of Historical Research, 2019).

‘Power, Piety and Presence: The Cult of Corpus Christi and the 1389 Guild Enquiry in Lincolnshire’ in Creativity, Contradictions and Commemoration in the Reign of Richard II: Essays in Honour of Professor Nigel Saul, eds. Jessica A. Lutkin & J. S. Hamilton (Boydell, 2022), pp. 203-220.

‘Building a Mistery’, History Today, 72: 3 (2022), pp. 66-75.

The Black Death

Claire’s research into the Black Death focusses on the social and cultural changes experienced by ordinary people in the two centuries following the 1348 outbreak of the disease. In particular she is interested in how the parish, the most basic administrative and ecclesiastical unit with which ordinary people had most contact, dealt with the pandemic. Her research also explores the links between expressions popular piety and the Black Death and the changing role of parish guilds and voluntary associations in the lives of ordinary people during the plague years. Her published work on the Black Death includes:

‘The Long Term Impact of the Black Death on Towns’, Teaching History, 180 (2020), pp. 40-1.

‘Pandemics in the Parish: A Medieval Approach to Emergency Planning’ in History Today, 71: 6 (2021), pp. 78-83.

Medievalism and Public Engagement with the Middle Ages

Claire is interested in how the wider public engage with and perceive the Middle Ages. She is the co-editor for Reinterpreting the Middle Ages: Medieval to Neo, a new book series published by Brepols, which explores interdisciplinary studies of the Middle Ages; that is, research which analyses the impact and approaches to the study of the medieval era from its origins to the present day. The aim of the series is to create a unique dialogue between scholars, professionals, and practitioners. Her published work on medievalism and public engagement with the Middle Ages includes:

‘Decoding the Medieval: From Manipulation to “Other”’ in What is Medieval? Decoding Approaches to the Medieval and Medievalism in the 21st Century (Brepols, 2024.)

Teaching & Pedagogy

As a university lecturer Claire is interested in exploring how the Middle Ages is taught as well as practical approaches to enhancing student skills in the study of history more generally. Her published work on teaching and pedagogy include:

‘Developing Public Speaking Skills in Undergraduates: A Two-Day Event’, Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal, 1: 2 (2017).