Blog

  • The History of Bartholomew Chapel
    When? Wed 13 May 2026, 7:30pmWhere? OXFORD: Florence Park Community Centre (info) This follows on from the workshop with Ian Forrest, read the report: Searching for History An event of the history of a local medieval site posted by the Florence Park Community Centre – FPCC. 900 Years of Sanctuary & Compassion in East Oxford. Martin… Read more: The History of Bartholomew Chapel
  • Medieval Matters TT26, Wk 3
    Week 3 is upon us, and it’s jam-packed with medieval events and opportunities. Of particular note is Balliol’s Oliver Smithies Lecture, this Thursday, which sees Elaine Treharne discussing Medieval women scribes. Looking to the future, we’re hoping to put together a list of Oxford participants in this year’s IMC Leeds. If you are organising or… Read more: Medieval Matters TT26, Wk 3
  • Feminaminals
    Call for papers Representations of Women and/as Animals in Literature, Arts, and Other Media University of Oxford, Oriel College, 14-16 April 2027 Keynote speakers: Prof Chloë Taylor (University of Alberta) and Dr Kaori Nagai (University of Kent)Roundtable with Queer Kinship Network led by Prof Charlotte Ross (University of Oxford) Organising committee: Dr Fanny Clemente (University… Read more: Feminaminals
  • Medieval Matters TT26, Wk 2
    Welcome to week 2. Alongside the usual weekly roster of reading groups and opportunities, this weeks sees a number of exciting one-off events: ‘Black Lives in the Archives’ (Thur), Prof Treharne on ‘The Look of the Medieval Book’ (Fri), and Dr Griffith in the annual O’ Donnell Lecture (Fri). Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Opportunities (see Medieval… Read more: Medieval Matters TT26, Wk 2
  • 1027 – 2027 : The World in which William was Born
    International Conference in Cerisy-la-Salle and Caen (9-13 June 2027)Organisation : Pierre Bauduin, Alban Gautier, Marie-Agnès Lucas-Avenel(Université de Caen Normandie, Centre Michel de Boüard – CRAHAM) We do not know exactly the date of William the Conqueror’s birth. It seems that thefuture Duke of the Normans and King was born between mid-1027 and mid-1028. Hismother’s name… Read more: 1027 – 2027 : The World in which William was Born
  • 20th MEMSA Anniversary Conference
    We hereby would like to announce that the registration for the 20th Medieval and Early Modern Student Association Conference in Durham University is open! The conference theme this year will be ‘Connection, Conversation, and Contention: Encounters in the Medieval and Early Modern World’, and the event itself will feature 36 papers on this theme by… Read more: 20th MEMSA Anniversary Conference
  • Workshop on Late Medieval German Drama
    Report by Carlos Rodríguez Otero and Monty Powell On Saturday 2 May 2026, a group comprising medievalists, musicians, musicologists, liturgists and art historians met in Room 2 of the Taylor Institution Library for a workshop on Medieval German Drama, organised by Henrike Lähnemann, Carlos Rodríguez Otero, Monty Powell and Sharang Sharma. The event centred on… Read more: Workshop on Late Medieval German Drama
  • Medieval Matters TT26, Wk 1
    Welcome back to Trinity term. There have been a substantial number of new additions to the booklet since the draft issued last week – please have a check through the updated booklet here for even more medieval events throughout the term. For some time-sensitive announcements (such as the call for actors for an experimental production… Read more: Medieval Matters TT26, Wk 1
  • OMS Small Grants Now Open!
    The TORCH Oxford Medieval Studies Programme invites applications for small grants to support conferences, workshops, and other forms of collaborative research activity organised by researchers at postgraduate (whether MSt or DPhil) or early-career level from across the Humanities Division at the University of Oxford. The scheme has a rolling deadline. Closing date for applications: Friday of Week 4 each term for activities taking… Read more: OMS Small Grants Now Open!
  • Harrowing of Hell Cast Call
    The Harrowing of Hell.26 is an experimental and abstract piece inspired by medieval mystery plays. It depicts Christ’s descent into Hell after his crucifixion, where he confronts Satan to free the righteous souls (Adam, Eve, the patriarchs, and the prophets) held captive for millennia. The one Satan believed he had defeated returns to break down… Read more: Harrowing of Hell Cast Call
  • Forgotten Libraries
    Lost, dispersed, and marginalised manuscript collections Provisional programme – for updates refer to the blog of the Centre for Manuscript and Text Cultures. For more information: clement.salah@queens.ox.ac.uk or shaahin.pishbin@queens.ox.ac.uk Day 1: Tuesday 16 June: The Making and Unmaking of Libraries Memorial Room, The Queen’s College, Oxford 9:00 Welcome9:15–9:30 Shaahin Pishbin & Clément Salah, “Introduction to… Read more: Forgotten Libraries
  • Nigel F. Palmer Travel Fund Launch
    The Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature warmly invites OMS community members to a wine reception to launch the Nigel F. Palmer Travel Fund, to be held at 18:00 on Monday 11 May in the Hinrich Reemtsma Auditorium of the Warburg Institute (Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AB). The Fund will support graduate… Read more: Nigel F. Palmer Travel Fund Launch
  • Events at Iffley Church
    Living Stones is looking for volunteers of any age, background or beliefs. Living Stones is the heritage and educational arm of St Mary’s, the church at the heart of Iffley village, Rose Hill and Donnington. Volunteers welcome visitors to the church. They also run activities, events and talks on its history and architecture. They welcome… Read more: Events at Iffley Church
  • New Directions in Old English Prose: Conference Report
    Over the course of two days, this international conference highlighted emerging directions in the study of the field. Hosted at the University of Oxford as part of Prof. Francis Leneghan’s AHRC-funded projected Writing Pre-Conquest England: A History of Old English Prose, the event brought together a diverse cohort of international senior scholars, early career researchers,… Read more: New Directions in Old English Prose: Conference Report
  • A Multilingual Moses Play
    Moses. The ‘Exagoge’ of Ezekiel. ‘Moses and the Shepherd’ by Rumi Friday, May 8, 2026 – 18:30: Ioannou Centre, 66 St GilesSunday, May 10 – 12.30: Iffley Church HallMonday, May 11 – 6pm: Wolfson College Buttery David Wiles directs a production of the extant fragments of a tragedy written in Alexandria in the second century… Read more: A Multilingual Moses Play
  • Medieval Germanists Gathering (GBOFFL 2026)
    “meister, phiff uff, lasz vns springen.” – Maria Magdalena, Frankfurter Passionsspiel 8b (ll. 698–743) Enough rays to make functional the St Edmund Hall sundial; yellow, orange, and burgundy tulips; the four-note blast of that iconic hunting horn: these signs heralded the beginning of the three-day GBOFFL Conference of medieval Germanists one late afternoon in April.… Read more: Medieval Germanists Gathering (GBOFFL 2026)
  • CfP: Cambridge Medieval History Graduate Workshop
    The Cambridge Medieval History Graduate Workshop welcomes papers of 20 minutes, to be submitted by 17th April 2026.
  • Medieval Matters – Vac
    The OMS emails will be put on brief pause over the vac, although the blog will be continually updated with new events. Please see below a number of important opportunities and reminders before term starts. Of particular note to those interested in early medieval England (and who amongst us doesnt fall into that category) is… Read more: Medieval Matters – Vac
  • British Library PhD placement: the Norman Conquest
    Application are open for three PhD placements which will support the development of our upcoming major exhibition on the Norman Conquest, marking the 1,000th anniversary of the birth of William the Conqueror. Apply by Monday 6 April 2026. This placement will be hosted by the Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts team at the Library.… Read more: British Library PhD placement: the Norman Conquest
  • A Conference at the British Library: Multispectral Gaze: New Approaches to the Cotton Genesis
    Friday 9th June, at 10:00 The British Library recently undertook a new multispectral digitisation campaign of the Cotton Genesis (British Library, Cotton MS Otho B VI), one of the greatest works of manuscript art to survive from late Antiquity and one of the most tragic casualties of the Cotton Library fire of 1731. The new imagery… Read more: A Conference at the British Library: Multispectral Gaze: New Approaches to the Cotton Genesis
  • Texts in transition
    A workshop on editing texts from medieval Britain The Early English Text Society for graduate students and early career scholars. Featuring: Richard Dance, Ralph Hanna, Kathryn Lowe, William Marx, Ad Putter, and Susan Irvine. St Hilda’s College, Oxford 11.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. Saturday 18 April 2026. £20 for members of the EETS, £34 for… Read more: Texts in transition
  • Conference: New Directions in Old English Prose
    University of Oxford – 30 March 2026 L1 Lecture Theatre 10.300 Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, Faculty of English Language and Literature, University of Oxford Registration is now closed for this event, which is sold out. Day 1: 30th March 2026 08.30–9.00: Welcome and Registration 09.00–10.30: Session… Read more: Conference: New Directions in Old English Prose
  • Medieval Germany Workshop
    29 May 2026, German Historical Institute in LondonOrganised by the German Historical Institute London and the German History Society Programme Commentators: Henrike Lähnemann (Oxford) & Christian Jaser (Kassel)Convenors: Thomas Kaal (GHIL) and Marcus Meer (UCL) 9.30 Session 1 (Chair: Thomas Kaal) 11.00 Coffee & Tea 11.30 Session 2 (Chair: Marcus Meer) 13.00 Lunch 14.00 Session… Read more: Medieval Germany Workshop
  • 500 Years of Yiddish Printing: Symposium
    4–6 October 2026 | University of Oxford, Oxford, UK In celebration of the quincentenary of the first Yiddish printing (the 1526/7 Agode of Gershom ben Salomon Kohen of Prague), please join us at the University of Oxford on the 4th–6th of October for a symposium on Yiddish printing, broadly defined. Papers and workshops will be… Read more: 500 Years of Yiddish Printing: Symposium
  • Medieval Matter HT26, Week 8
    We have made it, at long last, to the end of another Hilary term – but the events don’t stop coming! Please find below another week full of medieval events for you to enjoy, and an ever-increasing list of future opportunities. NB: the Maison Française d’Oxford lecture this Tuesday has had to move earlier and… Read more: Medieval Matter HT26, Week 8
  • Locational Lives: Medieval Experience in Town and Country
    Invitation to join the Graduate Centre of Medieval Studies at Reading on Thursday, 16th April 2026, for a postgraduate forum and discussion on understanding medieval life from the perspective of those in Town and those in the Country. Four sessions of 20-minute presentations followed by discussion on each topic area. Hybrid event in person and… Read more: Locational Lives: Medieval Experience in Town and Country
  • eCatalogus+: A Digital Tool for Latin Manuscripts
    11 March, 5pm, Horton Room, Weston Library Dr Paweł Figurski Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences, WarsaweCatalogus+: A Digital Tool for the Automated Study of Latin Manuscripts  (Liturgical Case Studies) The presentation introduces eCatalogus+, an innovative digital platform designed for the comprehensive description and automated analysis of medieval Latin manuscripts, with a… Read more: eCatalogus+: A Digital Tool for Latin Manuscripts