@kevinlinch.bsky.social
Professor of British History at the University of Leeds. Historian of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century British history, especially Napoleonic Wars. Love archives. Into photography in a part-time, amateur way.
Interesting CfP from the Early Modern War folks
25.02.2026 09:36 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Registration for #HAP26 is now OPEN!
Join us on the 16 April in Sheffield as we explore ‘Shaping Societies, Improving Lives: the Impact of Archives and Historical Research’
With @royalhistsoc.org @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy & @uoscollections.bsky.social
Register today: bit.ly/4roSsqU
There's still time to sign up for our free talk on 16 February. Dr Nicola Martin will be speaking about how the British Army's experience of pacifying the Highlands after the '45 Rising helped shape its approach to dissent in the Americas three decades later.
Register at my.demio.com/ref/sknZMpZz...
Our call for papers closes on 13 Feb. Theme is Authenticity: Record keeping establishments are places of destruction as much as preservation. What narratives control retention choices? Where does the burden of authenticity rest? Full info openingdoors-ara2026.eventsair.site/call-for-pap...
06.02.2026 11:40 — 👍 5 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 0
My team are looking for a new team leader and Modern Britain (post-1782) specialist. Closes 22nd February and do get in touch if you have any questions www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQJ050/t...
04.02.2026 13:54 — 👍 8 🔁 15 💬 1 📌 1
The National Archives are hiring a Poor Law Research Assistant (39k for 2 years) working on Paul Carter's AHRC project on poverty/welfare in Wales, 1834-1930. Deadline 16 Dec.
www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...
In February 1828 John Lewis, a Black sailor, was arrested during the 1828 Weymouth by-election.
@joecozens.bsky.social of the National Archives investigates this forgotten piece of Black political participation.
📣New blog!
Sophia Lambert (@sophialambert100.bsky.social) on 'Crossing Borders: Expressing National Identity Through Headstones in the Bradford Reform Jewish Cemetery, 1877 to 1935'
#History #Memorial #Migration #Bradford 19thc 20thc 🗃️
👉Read online here: socialhistory.org.uk/shs_exchange...
CFP, British Commission for Military History, The Intimate Front: Marriage, Gender, Relationships & (para) Military identities, 5 June 2026 London.
This sounds like a fascinating conference. Abstracts to be by 1 March 2026.
28.01.2026 09:16 — 👍 4 🔁 7 💬 0 📌 0
A reminder that booking is now open for our forthcoming conference, 'The British Army and the American War, 1775-83: Fresh Perspectives' which will take place at the National Army Museum on 14 March (virtual option also available).
Details at: www.sahr.org.uk/view-event.p...
There's a lot going on the world, but I was glad to see an article of mine published in the @jbritishstudies.bsky.social
Read about Shadrack Byfield, an English War of 1812 veteran who buried his own arm, designed a custom prosthesis, and wrote multiple memoirs: doi.org/10.1017/jbr....
📣 Calling all experts on 18th-century Britain! Apply for this fantastic job by 15 Feb. 📣
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQE665/a...
Gordon Forster Essay Prize 2026
Deadline: 1 May 2026
Open to postgraduate students and ECRs, the winner receives £200 and their essay will be considered for publication. Essays should fit within the journal’s aims & scope, and be between 7000-10000 words (inc. footnotes).
Please repost.
There's still time to sign up for TNAs archival skills training sessions relating to military history/records on 3/4 February: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/practical-...
13.01.2026 10:24 — 👍 4 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
CFP | Empires and War
Royal Military College of Canada & University College Dublin
📍 Newman House, UCD | 🗓️ 17–18 September 2026
Papers invited on imperial war from Antiquity onwards. Panel proposals welcome.
📝 Deadline: 15 March 2026
📩 Submissions to: Doug.Delaney@rmc.ca
Details below ⬇️
Actor Sean Bean and author Bernard Cornwell join historians Zack White & Liam Telfer for an episode of The Napoleonic Wars Podcast.
It wasn’t a dream…
Sean Bean and Bernard Cornwell really did join me & Liam Telfer @liamtelfer.bsky.social on the Napoleonic Wars Pod @napwarspod.bsky.social last night.
As Sean put it ‘we could have talked all night’.
We also discovered which is Bernard’s favourite book from the Sharpe series.
Sean Bean posing as Richard Sharpe in the uniform of an officer of the 95th Rifles for his role in the TV series ‘Sharpe’
Bernard Cornwell, number 1 bestselling author of the Sharpe’s series
Bernard Cornwell and Sean Bean will be appearing in a joint interview for The Napoleonic Wars Podcast.
If you’ve got a question for them, post it below and we’ll pick the best.
Photo of me with a closing powerpoint slide of an 18th century cartoon, in the National Army Museum
Although a little late, it was an absolute pleasure to have been able to present at @nationalarmymuseum.bsky.social last Friday about some elements of my thesis. My family was even able to attend; after all, a good audience (in-person and online) makes this all worthwhile!
Photo by Simon Hendley.
In just over a week, our last livestream of the year with @1812andallthat.bsky.social speaking on one of the best known privates of the War of 1812, Shadrach Byfield!
www.historysymposium.com/eamonn-okeefe/
We’re recruiting for a SHAPE Commercialisation Manager (0.8fte) at @universityofleeds.bsky.social. This exciting new role will support early-stage enterprise and commercialisation in Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy. Deadline 4.1.26 jobs.leeds.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
08.12.2025 10:58 — 👍 2 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
The British Army and the American War, 1775-83: Fresh Perspectives
Saturday 14 March 2026
Please save the date for our forthcoming conference to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and the British Army’s doomed efforts to prevent it.
Details at www.sahr.org.uk/view-event.p...
Applications for the Caird Fellowships at Royal Museums Greenwich are now open - www.rmg.co.uk/collections/... It looks like a great opportunity to work on a fantastic collection and collaborate with some brilliant staff.
12.11.2025 11:50 — 👍 19 🔁 21 💬 0 📌 0
A girl sits at a desk in a library full of wooden furniture. She is reading a page in a book between writing notes on her laptop. Behind her there is a glass cabinet full of books and a sculpture of a bust.
Could you be our next LGBTQ+ intern?🏳️🌈
We want a University of Leeds student who's passionate about sharing hidden voices.📣This internship will explore how we can invite researchers to view collections through an LGBTQ+ lens. 🔍
If this sounds like you, apply now! jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...
📢 Call for Contributions 📢
The Journal of British Studies seeks submissions for a special series of short essays to be published over the course of 2026 on the topic of “1776: Views from the British World.”
PLEASE TAKE OUR MONEY!
With the new academic year now well under way, a reminder that we offer University Research Grants of up to £1,000 for students carrying out research on the British Army or of the land forces of the British Empire & the Commonwealth.
Details at: www.sahr.org.uk/university-r...
🎉The call for participation for #HAP26 is now open!
Alongside @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy, @royalhistsoc.org & @unisheffieldlib.bsky.social we invite you to explore the theme 'Shaping Societies, Improving Lives: The Impact of Archives and Historical Research'.
Apply today: bit.ly/46VfEVY
Photo of a paper airplane on fire with text that reads "I am under no obligation to disclose anything and the papers belong to me. If I wanted to I could take them into the yard and have a bonfire with them" South Yorkshire Chief Constable Med Hughes. Credit for photo of on fire airplane is Aron Yigin via Unsplash
Why aren’t Police Records in England & Wales covered by the Public Records Act? We've been campaigning on this since 2012 - blog for more info:
www.campaignforrecords.org/blog/why-arent-police-records-covered-by-the-public-records-act
#publicaccountability
of interest @andyburnham.bsky.social ?
We have two jobs at KCL History!
16-month post in Modern Irish and/or British History: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOU178/l...
And 5-year post in Early Modern Europe & The World: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOU182/l...
(both to start in January 2026)
With me finally wrapping up my PhD, I can also announce that I will be speaking at @NAM_London on Friday 5 December, 12-1pm, about the fencibles, civil-military relations, and martial masculinity. I'll be there in person, but it can be watched online *and* is free!
www.nam.ac.uk/whats-on/fen...
Article cover for Sadie Sunderland's new article in Transactions: 'Irish Catholic Recruitment into the British Army during the American Revolution: A Case Study of the 46th Regiment of Foot'. Abstract: This article looks at military history through a social lens, focusing on the identity and experiences of the Irish Catholics recruited for service in the British army during the American Revolution, a conflict which occurred before Catholics were legally permitted to serve, but during which significant numbers were recruited nonetheless. Using Irish Catholic recruitment and subsequent service in the 46th Regiment of Foot as a case study, this article will discuss the integration of this group into a regular regiment on the British establishment, arguing that despite contemporary anxieties to the contrary, the incorporation of Irish Catholics into the British army happened smoothly and without negative impact on regimental cohesion and discipline. They became well-integrated, and while their loyalty to the British state can never be definitively proven, they certainly became effective participants in its army and empire. This provides a compelling viewpoint from which to discuss the integration of ‘others’ into Britishness and the imperial apparatus during this period.
New in 'Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'
'Irish Catholic Recruitment into the British Army
during the American Revolution: A Case Study
of the 46th Regiment of Foot', by Sadie Sunderland bit.ly/4m80z84
What can Irish recruitment tell us about the complexity of the C18th military? 1/2