Fragmented Worlds, Shared Histories
The MEMRN Committee are delighted to announce the return of the Winter Conference after the huge success of last year’s inaugural in-person event in Norwich. The MEMRN Winter Conference 2025 will be held from the 13th to the 16th November 2025 at the University of East Anglia.
Please find the provisional programme for our conference event below. You can register to attend the conference panels virtually via Eventbrite HERE. Online registrations for the final few in-person spaces will be opened shortly. We hope to see you there!
| Thursday 13th November | Scheduled Activities |
| 19:00 Norwich City Centre The Adam & Eve 17 Bishopgate, Norwich, NR3 1RZ | Welcome to MEMRN’s Winter Conference 2025! If you’re arriving early to the conference, we’d like to welcome you to Norwich by heading out together on a sociable crawl of some of Norwich’s oldest and finest pubs. We’ll begin our evening at the oldest pub in the city: the Adam & Eve, which dates back to at least 1249! From there, we’ll walk over to the Belgian Monk next to the historic Maddermarket. Try the cherry beer – you won’t regret it! We plan to wind up at the Lamb Inn, located in what was medieval Norwich’s Jewish Quarter. |
| Friday 14th NovemberDay One | Scheduled Activities |
| 10:00 – 10:10 University of East Anglia Congregation Hall Room 0.13 | Arrival & registration at Congregation Hall, UEA. Morning refreshments (tea, coffee and breakfast pastries) will be provided.) |
| 10:10 – 10:20 University of East Anglia Congregation Hall Room 0.13 | Welcome and Opening Remarks from the CHASE MEMRN Committee. |
| 10:30 – 11:40 University of East Anglia Panel Session One: Congregation Hall Room 0.13 Panel Session Two: The Union Building Room 1 | Panel Session One: Fragmented Religious Communities Panel Chair: Freya Laidlow-Petersen Dr. Danny Buck (Independent Scholar) A Calvinist Bolthole? The Unusual Survival of Great Yarmouth’s Dutch Congregation Anisia Iacob (University of Kent, Kings College London) Banned and Burnt: Michael Servetus’ Christianismi Restitutio and its Journey to 16th century Transylvania Felix Liber (Independent Scholar) Natural Law Amidst a Plurality of Opinions: John Selden and the Agent Intellect Panel Session Two: Communities in Manuscript Panel Chair: TBC Kate Yarbrough (University of York) Passionately Made: Reader Additions in the Pavement-Pulleyn Hours, York Minster LibraryMS XVI.K.6 Madeleine Duperouzel (University of Oxford) Examining Marginal Women in Late Antique and Byzantine Egyptian Papyri, 4th-7th centuries Mathilda Linnéa Osborne (Independent Scholar) Remembering Husdent: Marginalised Animals and the Fragmented Béroul Manuscript Emilia Hesler Osztafi (University of Oxford) Practical Fragments: Compilation as Craft and Ritual in English Fifteenth-Century Home-Made Notebooks |
| 11:40 – 12:10 | BREAK |
| 12:10 – 13:20 University of East Anglia Panel Session Three: Congregation Hall Room 0.13 Panel Session Four: Congregation Hall Room 0.17 | Panel Session Three: Voices from the Margin Panel Chair: TBC Conor Byrne (University of Southampton) ‘The supreme opportunity to speak’? Queenship, Gender and Agency on the Early Modern Scaffold Lucy Ryell (University of Lincoln) ‘I love my master, and I hate that slave’: Servicing Power and Empowering Service in Early Modern Domestic Tragedy Costas Gavriel (University of Oxford) The Politics of Conversion: The Role of the Jewish Orphan in the Memorias of Leonor López de Córdoba Panel Session Four: Poetical Matter: Alchemy and Anatomy Panel Chair: TBC Amelia Ormondroyd-Williams (Birkbeck, University of London) The Vegetal Analogy in Early Modern Poetry and Obstetrics Anna Piper-Thompson (University of York) ‘When Phæbus with his Rayes Bryghte’: Sir Hans Sloane’s Alchemical Manuscript Collection in Practice Gabriela Luz (University of Birmingham & UNESP, Brazil) “And this feende, that hadde power to make woman conceive” – The Demonic Seed in Supernatural Pregnancies |
| 13:20 – 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:45 – 17:00 Session 1: Norwich Castle Castle St, Norwich, NR1 3JU Session 2: Norwich Cathedral Cathedral Close, Tombland, Norwich, NR1 4DH Session 3: Norwich City Centre Session 4: The Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich NR2 1BH | Afternoon Exploration Sessions Session 1: Norwich Castle Museum – Visit to the new gallery of Medieval Life Join Dr. Tim Pestell, Castle Curator of Archaeology, for a special look around Norwich Castle’s newly redeveloped Norman keep. Redesigned over the course of 7 years, the Norman keep now houses reconstructed royal apartments and the new Gallery of Medieval Life, opened in partnership with the British Museum. You’ll have the opportunity to hear Tim’s unique insights into the challenges of the keep project and enjoy some time exploring the museum independently. Please note: Norwich Castle keep is now fully accessible. Session 2: Norwich Cathedral Library Workshop and Cathedral Tour With construction beginning in 1096, Norwich Cathedral has been a site of Christian worship for over 900 years. This visit will include a guided tour of the medieval & early modern highlights of the cathedral building, rounded off with a workshop in the Cathedral library with library curator Gudrun Warren to examine some of the special collections. Please note: Norwich Cathedral and its Library are mostly accessible but the main cathedral building has some uneven floors. You can access more accessibility information here: https://cathedral.org.uk/accessibility/ Session 3: Medieval & Early Modern Norwich Walking Tour Wrap up warm and explore the incredible medieval and early modern city of Norwich with us! Embark on a walking tour of some of the stunning highlights including the medieval church that was home to Julian of Norwich, the glorious guildhall, Cathedral Close, Tombland, and the famously picturesque Elm Hill. Please note: Our walking tour route is largely accessible but could be a challenging distance for those with mobility issues. In the event that the winter weather works against us, we will dip into Norwich cathedral, have a look around, and enjoy a sociable tea & cake in the Refectory instead! Session 4: Norfolk Heritage Centre – Special Collections Visit This session will be based at the Norfolk Heritage Centre at the Forum. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to work with some of the medieval and early modern highlights of the Centre’s special collections and develop book handling and interpretation skills with the experts. The workshop is intended to develop a deeper understanding of palaeography and book history as well as the role of Norwich’s historic library collections across four centuries of public and academic life. Please note: The Forum is an accessible venue. |
| 18:00 Norwich City Centre The Vault The Cosy Club, 45-51 London St, Norwich, NR2 1AG | MEMRN Winter Conference Welcome Dinner Tonight delegates will be invited to gather for an informal dinner at The Cosy Club in Norwich. Head downstairs to our private room in the old bank vault for a relaxed evening of great food, drinks and company! Please note that the cost of dinner is not included. As an optional social event, we’ve endeavoured to keep the costs as accessible as possible. Our dinner will be served buffet-style in The Vault at £25.95 per head for two courses. Payment will be made individually on the night. Please let us know via the registration form if you have any dietary requirements. |
| Saturday 15th November Day Two | Scheduled Activities |
| 8:30 – 9:00 University of East Anglia Congregation Hall Room 0.13 | Arrival & registration at Congregation Hall, UEA. Morning refreshments (tea, coffee and breakfast pastries) will be provided.) |
| 9:00 – 10:15 University of East Anglia Panel Session Five: Congregation Hall Room 0.13 Panel Session Six: Congregation Hall Room 0.17 | Panel Session Five: Diplomatic Encounters Panel Chair: TBC Teoni Maughan Passereau (University of Bristol) Initiating and Negotiating Franco-English Diplomatic Relations: 1660-1664 Rima Greenhill (Stanford University) “Mutual affection”: An overview of Anglo-Russian diplomatic and trade relations, 1601-1617. Giada Semenzato (Università di Firenze) The Wars of the Roses: An Italian Perspective through Diplomatic and Commercial Networks Panel Session Six: Narratives of Travel & Encounter Panel Chair: TBC Freya Grace Laidlow-Petersen (University of Bangor) Monks on the Move: Tracing the Paths of Celtic Wandering Friars Virginia Ghelarducci (School of Advanced Study, University of London) Images of Global Encounters: The Classical Tradition and the Americas in Early Modern Travel Literature TBC TBC Title TBC |
| 10:15 – 10:45 | BREAK |
| 10:45 – 12:00 University of East Anglia Session 1 Congregation Hall Room 0.13 Session 2 Congregation Hall Room 0.17 | Parallel Workshop Sessions Session 1: Latin Crash Course This session is designed to give those who haven’t had much of a chance to study Latin the opportunity to give it a whirl. Our Latin Crash Course will give you the basics of the language along with a bucket full of tips, tricks and resources to help you pursue effective self-directed Latin study. Session 2: Palaeography Clinic Are you struggling with some monstrous palaeography in your research project? This session is an opportunity to outsource your palaeography woes and work through challenging documents together as a group. Bring your toughest examples to this workshop and with the help of a facilitator, work with your fellow delegates to decipher them. |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 – 14:10 University of East Anglia Panel Session Seven: Congregation Hall Room 0.13 Panel Session Eight: Congregation Hall Room 0.17 | Panel Session Seven: Premodern Poetics of Race, Otherness, and Alterity Panel Chair: TBC Georgie Anderson (University of Kent) ‘Al was his sward wat scaetde dat?’ Medieval Conventions of Blackness in the Middle Dutch Moriaen. Jessica Weiss-Bahia (University of Oxford) Medieval Legacies, Stuart Stages: Race and Gender Fluidity in Court Performance Anna Mowery (Warburg Institute) Magic, Colonialism, and Enslavement on the Early Modern Stage (1588-1621) Panel Session Eight: The Fabric of Care: Medicine & Materiality Panel Chair: TBC Rachel Dow (Birkbeck, University of London) Linen in Pieces: The Role of Linen in Seventeenth-Century Experience and Imagination Alice Goldsney (University of East Anglia) Medicine for the Soul at The Great Hospital, Norwich Veronika Lahodinski (University of York) The Transfer of Uroscopic Knowledge from Medieval Script Culture to 16th Century English-Language Print Culture |
| 15:00 – 17:00 Session 1: Norwich Medieval Combat Club St Lawrence Church, 31 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4PE Session 2: Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell Bridewell Alley, Norwich, NR2 1AQ Session 3: Norwich City Centre Session 4: The Shoebox Experiences 21-23 Castle Meadow, Norwich NR1 3DH | Afternoon Exploration Sessions Session 1: Norwich Medieval Combat Club – Demonstration of Medieval Weaponry Step into the gritty world of medieval tournaments with Norwich Medieval Combat as they showcase the raw intensity of full-contact armoured medieval fighting. This is not reenactment, but real combat in steel. Alongside the clashes, you’ll explore the arms and armour of 14th-century knights and even try your hand at the techniques they once used in tourneys. A rare chance to experience real history at its most visceral! Session 2: Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell Tour Situated in the Bridewell, one of Norwich’s grandest medieval flint-walled residences, the Museum of Norwich tells the story of the city’s colourful social history. Your exclusive tour of the Bridewell building includes a rare opportunity to enter the medieval undercrofts which are the largest remaining undercrofts in the city accessible to the public. Please note: Unfortunately, the Bridewell undercrofts are not wheelchair accessible. Session 3: Medieval & Early Modern Norwich Walking Tour Wrap up warm and explore the incredible medieval and early modern city of Norwich with us! Embark on a walking tour of some of the stunning highlights including the medieval church that was home to Julian of Norwich, the glorious guildhall, Cathedral Close, Tombland, and the famously picturesque Elm Hill. Please note: Our walking tour route is largely accessible but could be a challenging distance for those with mobility issues. In the event that the winter weather works against us, we will dip into Norwich cathedral, have a look around, and enjoy a sociable tea & cake in the Refectory instead! Session 4: The Shoebox Experiences Norwich Hidden Street Tour Step into the shadows of Norwich’s history with the Shoebox Hidden Street Tour. Guided by a local storyteller, and history enthusiast you’ll uncover a whole new world hidden beneath The Shoebox Experience’s office on Castle Meadow – where layers of city architecture expose secrets from the 15th century. Situated between the market and the Norman Keep, head underground to discover Norwich’s rich past. Please note: Unfortunately, this tour is not wheelchair accessible. The Hidden Street is underground and the activity may not be appropriate for those who struggle with dark, enclosed spaces. |
| 18:00 Norwich City Centre The Louis Marchesi 17 Tombland, Norwich NR3 1HR | MEMRN Pub Quiz Night! Join us this evening in the loft space at the Louis Marchesi pub in Norwich for the MEMRN pub quiz! Gather your teammates and compete in this MEMs-themed quizzical tournament for the Winter Conference prize! The Louis Marchesi is a Grade II listed medieval building with an original gothic undercroft situated in the historic heart of Norwich on Tombland plain across from the Cathedral. Food and drink will be available to purchase at the venue. |
| Sunday 16th November Day Three | Scheduled Activities |
| 8:30 – 9:00 University of East Anglia Congregation Hall Room 0.13 | Arrival & registration at Congregation Hall, UEA. Morning refreshments (tea, coffee and breakfast pastries) will be provided.) |
| 9:00 – 10:10 University of East Anglia Panel Session Nine: Congregation Hall Room 0.13 Panel Session Ten: Congregation Hall Room 0.17 | Panel Session Nine: Historic Communities, Modern Methodologies Panel Chair: TBC Stanislava Lisna (University of Oxford) Translating the Translator: Making Heritage Inscriptions Accessible Auriel Tiltman (University of Lincoln) What Remains When We Remove? The Conservation of a 13th Century Funerary Chalice Natalie Tolentino (University of Kent) Pentlimentality: Fragmented Afterlives in the Canterbury Passional and Digital Representations of Recycled Material Panel Session Ten: Devotional Narratives Panel Chair: TBC Lucy Dallas (University of East Anglia) Conflict and Contemplation: Hints of Autistic Patterning in the Relationships and Spirituality of Margery Kempe Bella Cerulle (University of Cambridge) Ouercome ase kempe: A Lexical and Semantic Study of Depictions of the Miles Christi in Three Old and Early Middle English Lives of St. Margaret |
| 10:10 – 10:20 | BREAK |
| 10:20 – 12:00 University of East Anglia Session One: Congregation Hall Room 0.17 Session Two: Congregation Hall Room 0.13 Session Three: Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, UEA Campus | Wellbeing Workshops Session One: Make Your Own Medieval Bestiary Under the watchful eye of our own fourteenth-century scribe and illuminator, participants in this art-based workshop will be encouraged to draw and paint their own fantastical medieval creatures, learning about the production and conventions of these attractive medieval manuscripts along the way. No previous art experience needed! Session Two: Writing Historical Fiction – A Creative Workshop Put your historical research to use in a brand newway through this guided creative writingworkshop. Learn strategies from our UEA Creative Writing facilitators for building rich and believable historical worlds in fiction, grounded in sensory details and a powerful sense of time and space.No previous creative writing experience is necessary. Session Three: Exploring Living Art – Group Visit to the Sainsbury Centre Join your fellow delegates on a group visit to the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a pioneering art gallery situated on the UEA campus that seeks to redefine our relationship with museums and cultural artefacts. Enjoy an introduction to the gallery’s unique guiding principle of ‘Living Art’ and explore this diverse collection at your leisure. You can find accessibility information for the gallery here: https://sainsburycentre.ac.uk/visit-us/#access |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 – 14:10 University of East Anglia Panel Session Eleven: Congregation Hall Room 0.13 Panel Session Twelve: Congregation Hall Room 0.17 | Panel Session Eleven: Embodied Masculinities: Encounter and Emotion Panel Chair: TBC Srija Dutta (Independent Scholar) Travelling Masculinities: English Perceptions in Intercultural Encounters in Seventeenth-Century India Olivia Golby-Kirk (University of Birmingham) For Young-men are so false-hearted: Youthful Masculinity from the Perspective of Women Alyssa Benedetto (University of Strathclyde & Aberdeen) A Tangible Emotional Past in the Death of Roger Mortimer (1231-1282) Panel Session Twelve: Romance Worlds Panel Chair: TBC Irene Lopez-Huicochea (University of Kent) The Decaying Corpse of the Empire: A Contemporary Reading of The Ruin Davide Salmoiraghi (University of Cambridge) Fragmented Selves in Old Norse Chivalric Sagas Eileen Foy (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf) Locating Identity, Community and Fellowship in the Winchester MS: Reading Le Morte D’Arthur in its Wider Manuscript Context |
| 14:10 – 14:40 | BREAK |
| 14:40 – 15:45 University of East Anglia Room TBC | Keynote Lecture Professor Claire Jowitt Professor of Renaissance Studies, University of East Anglia The Gloucester, 1682: History, Artefacts, Significance |
| 15:45 – 16:00 University of East Anglia Congregation Hall Room 0.13 | Closing Remarks from the CHASE MEMRN Committee |
| 16:00 onwards Norwich City Centre | Goodbye Social Delegates who are staying in Norwich an additional night will be invited to gather in the city to celebrate the close of a successful conference. Keep an eye on the conference WhatsApp and come and join us! |