Biography
My research focuses on the everyday relationships between people of different religious confessions in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century England. In general my work explores what enabled people of ostensibly opposing views to live peaceably and sometimes generously alongside one another in a period of considerable religious and political tension. More specifically, my PhD project examines the ways in which issues of civility and politeness may have helped or hindered the development of relationships of trust between people of different confessions. Although I have previously looked at relationships between English Catholics and conforming Protestants, my current project looks at other Protestant groups with a particular focus on the Quakers. More broadly I hope that this project will help to unpick questions surrounding the line between mere tolerance and full acceptance of those with differing religious views in early modern England.
Other academic interests
Beyond my PhD work I am engaged in several projects which explore how academic history can reach a broader audience. As a former secondary school history teacher I also remain interested in history education and the ways in which it can shape public perceptions of history and current affairs.
