Jon Chant

🎺IT HATH ARRIVED!🎺

The official MEMSA stash drop is now available to buy! You have 7 days to get what you want before it disappears into the mystical Otherworlds once more… 🤭

redbirdapparel.co.uk/collections/...

🎺 Santiago García Sosa from Leiden University will joining us on 2 February to present on Queenship, Conduct, Counsel, and the Restoration of Order in Martín de Córdoba's Jardin de nobles doncellas! Mark your calendars for 6pm, 7 Owengate! 🎺

(And we have more news coming today too... 👀)

🎺 Don't miss our FIRST TALK OF TERM, coming this Monday, where Davide Salmoiraghi from the University of Cambridge will be presenting on 'The best knight that ever was': The Old Norse Lives of Hector of Troy! Remember to come by 7 Owengate at 6pm so you don't miss out on the action! 🎺

Just one week left to submit papers for the 5th Early Modern British and Irish Catholicism conference! Proposals are welcome from researchers at all career stages working on the 16th to the late 18th century
#skystorians #CathHist #history #bookhistory #catholicism #nuntastic

🎺 Are you interested in exploring Connections, Conversation, Contention: Encounters in the Medieval and Early Modern World? Then consider submitting a paper to the 20th annual conference, taking place 13 and 14 July 2026 at St John’s College, Durham University!

Devil in the Detail: Language and Laughter in the Passio Domini Homily Eugenia Vorobeva - University of Oxford This paper takes as its starting point a passage from the vernacular Passio domini homily preserved in the Icelandic Homily Book (c.1200). The passage in question describes the horrors from which Christ delivers his people; following other things, he finally delivers the human race ‘from the devices and laughter of the devil’ (fra velom oc hlatre diofolsens). The passage is artfully crafted: it is alliterative, it is rhythmical, the combination of its style and substance can be seen as forcing the audience into the into the drama of salvation and the significance of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The devil’s laughter, being the final item on the list, seems to be of a special significance; however, this topos is rather rare in the corpus of Old Norse religious literature. This paper considers the topos of the devil’s laughter within Old Norse religious texts by considering a number of instances of its use and tracing its origins to the Latin sources. While medieval theologians use a range of various words to indicate different types of laughter, Old Norse tends to translate all of them with the verb hlæja which, in its turn, has a number of connotation within the corpus. By further examining the link between the devil’s laughter, its vocabulary, and its stylistic devices in connection to broader the contemporary literary context, this paper addresses the intricate interplay between emotion, style, and theology in vernacular prose writings of medieval Iceland. 6pm Monday 8 December 7 Owengate on Palace Green Everyone Welcome!

Our final talk of term will be next Monday, 8 December, featuring Eugenia Vorobeva from the University of Oxford! She will be presenting her paper, "Devil in the Detail: Language and Laughter in the Passio Domini Homily." Come along to 7 Owengate at 6pm to see her presentation! ✨

There are a few more in the Lisbon Collection as well!

A devotional book from Queen Catherine of Braganza’s personal library held at
@UshawLibrary

Today is both her nameday & birthday as she was born #otd 25 Nov 1638, the feast of Catherine of Alexandria.

CCS and @durhamtheology.bsky.social PhD researcher @maddyphillipps.bsky.social recently spoke on early modern English Catholic women and the use of missionary texts at the 'Women and the Household in the Early Modern Book Trade' conference in Antwerp #skystorians #bookhistory #catholicism

YouTube video by Gospel Simplicity The Untold Story of the Catholic Reformation | Dr. James Kelly

James Kelly of @durhamtheology.bsky.social recently appeared on the Gospel Simplicity YouTube channel to talk about his new book, The Catholic Reformation: A Very Short Introduction. You can watch it here: youtu.be/5Y0QQKBYMqc?... #skystorians #CathHist #history #Catholicism

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

🎺 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!

First Clare and Hawley Chair in the History of Catholicism appointed - Durham University

Dr James Kelly @durhamtheology.bsky.social @ccshistorycatholic.bsky.social has been appointed as the inaugural holder of the Clare and Hawley Chair in the History of Catholicism - the first in the UK dedicated specifically to Catholic history 👉 www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...

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!

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!

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

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! 💕

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—)

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.

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!

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!

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!

🍂Autumn Offer! 50% off 1-week Online Courses!

To celebrate the success of our short courses and introduce a host of new students to learning with IMEMS, our 1-week short courses are just £100 each for a limited time! Follow the link or scan the QR codes:
imemsdurhamlearn.com/ourcourses/

Delighted to have hosted a @britishacademy.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk funded two-day workshop on Catholic archives last week at Durham, with colleagues from across the UK joined by those from the USA, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Italy and Switzerland to discuss the future of the field (1/2)

Newly published: "Grace, Piety and Memory: The Material Culture of British Catholics 1534-1850", a guide by the British Catholic Material Culture Research Group. More info and free download link here: britishartnetwork.org.uk/research/bri... #skystorians #catholicism #skyhistory #materialculture

Radical Poverty This incisive work offers the first comprehensive analysis of the history of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in Britain. Drawing on previously closed archive…

Radical Poverty: The Capuchins and Catholicism in Britain, 1850-2022' by the CCS' @liamtemple.bsky.social is now available to pre-order through @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social! Details here: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/radical-p... #skystorians #CathHist #history #Catholicism

Ushaw Historic House library open to public for one day The library, usually reserved for researchers, holds many examples of early printed books.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

With the correct link this time... www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

At the beginning of this week we hosted the 19th Annual MEMSA Conference.

We would like to thank our supporters: @sshmedicine.bsky.social, Durham's Faculty of Arts and Humanities, @durhamhistory.bsky.social, Durham Castle and of course @imems.bsky.social

CCS Assistant Prof @liamtemple.bsky.social attended the Provincial Assembly of the Australian Capuchins in Sydney last week. He presented his research on the friars' work amongst migrant communities and led a workshop on Franciscan understandings of history #skystorians #skyhistory #catholicism

Last week, I had the opportunity to do some research in the historic library of the English Convent in Bruges. Thank you so much to @catholicrs.bsky.social for making it possible! #nuntastic

Speaking about the involvement of early modern English Catholic women in the illicit transnational distribution of Catholic books at the ‘Tudor England and the Antwerp Book Trade’ conference in Antwerp last week! #CathHist #bookhistory

Eilish Gregory, member of the @ccshistorycatholic.bsky.social team, has recently been in Italy visiting various archives for her research about the Little Company of Mary, including those of Propaganda Fide #skystorians #CathHist #history #Catholicism #nuntastic

Delighted that my @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social monograph is live on their website for pre-order, & the stunning front cover has also been revealed, featuring two of my fave images from the archives! URL: bloomsbury.com/uk/radical-p... #skystorians #history #catholicism #capuchin #skyhistory

Incoming CCS PhD researcher Aurelia Eburne has delivered a paper about Richard Lassels and the Catholic contribution to early Grand Tour travel literature at the @catholicrs.bsky.social annual conference #skystorians #CathHist #history #Catholicism