Jennifer Coulton

I am currently studying for a DPhil in History at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. My research explores religion in the early medieval household within England (c.650-1150CE), supervised by Professor Helena Hamerow and Dr Helen Gittos. Combining archaeological and written sources, I aim to tease out evidence about the different types of religious rituals that occurred within domestic complexes, and explore the intersection of different practices, clerical attitudes towards household religion, and the changes over time. In doing so, I aim to not only fill the chronological gap in the scholarship, but also illuminate wider histories about the creation of religious orthodoxy, the interaction between the everyday and institutionalised faith, and highlight how far periodisation and disciplinary boundaries have concealed continuity and change.

Prior to my DPhil, I completed my BA (Hons) in History, and an interdisciplinary MSt in Medieval Studies, both at the University of Oxford (Hertford and Wolfson Colleges, respectively). In my time between my MSt and DPhil, I worked with Durham University’s Archives and Special Collections Library Department as a graduate intern, gaining experience on how to catalogue rare materials, and make them accessible.

My research is generously funded by the Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP, the Clarendon Fund and Corpus Christi College’s Cowley Scholarship.