Postdoctoral Research Associate on the Making the March project at the University of Manchester. Early medievalist. English society, law, landscape c. 600–1100. Book in progress on c10–11 East Anglia.
Richard Purkiss
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Very pleased to see this article out in Early Medieval Europe! In which I ask what made someone a 'thegn' in the century or so before the Conquest (and whether it really took five hides of land to become one).
Worth a library recommendation, especially for anyone who has tried setting the physical book to students recently?
Out (again) now, having been near unobtainable for some time. Word is that more titles from this excellent series could be digitised depending on uptake, so do pass on and recommend if so inclined!
A modern classic, now scarce - Faith's The English Peasantry and the Growth of Lordship - is being reissued as an ebook by @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social (at a very reasonable price). www.bloomsbury.com/uk/english-p...
Richard Purkiss
Delighted to bring you the programme for the third Medieval Loyalty Workshop, online on 24th January, under the command of the terrific @katybennett.bsky.social and @mediev-el.bsky.social
All are very welcome!
Details here: medievalloyalty.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/2026/01/06/t...
A party @ox.ac.uk on Thursday to celebrate the work of Ros Faith with a magnificent book edited by @hannah-boston.bsky.social & @richardpurkiss.bsky.social. Speakers emphasized her commitment to 'treating the peasantry as people with minds of their own'.
Mini-article out now Open Access in Notes & Queries – take a look for my theory of what Wulfstan II means by ‘injustice in the north’ (spoiler: Vikings and weird legal stuff in the Danelaw) doi.org/10.1093/note... #Medievalsky #Medievalists
Richard Purkiss
And finally, Richard Purkiss on thegns in early medieval England, arguing that 'thegn' was really just a term for "quite ordinary landowners" (open access) 7/9
doi.org/10.1111/emed...
