Emily Bolton
LightNews LightNews
emilybolton.bsky.social
Emily Bolton
@emilybolton.bsky.social
1.5K followers 1.5K following 34 posts
Medievalist and PhD student at the University of Southampton. Researching women in manorial law.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Emily Bolton
nrhodgson-hist.bsky.social
Immensely proud to be part of the incredible team who authored this report! The 'Great History Heist' presents results from a national survey of the teaching of women in History at KS3, and suggests pathways for improving the systemic barriers affecting representation in the classroom.
endsexisminschools.bsky.social End Sexism In Schools @endsexisminschools.bsky.social · Sep 24
We’re launching the results of our research into gender balance in the History curriculum today.

The report - The Great History Heist: Reclaiming Women’s Place in the History Curriculum - found only 12% of History lessons feature women as their main focus. 59% featured no women at all.
Sexism in the History Curriculum - End Sexism in Schools
End Sexism In School’s second crowd research project is looking into the History curriculum taught at KS3 (years 7-9) in England and Wales.
endsexisminschools.org.uk
September 24, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
teachmedwomen.bsky.social
TMW's Natasha Hodgson @nrhodgson-hist.bsky.social on the absence of women in History GCSE and A Level exam papers in today's @uk.theconversation.com, what this means for students, and the need for curriculum and assessment reform @departmentforedu.bsky.social
nrhodgson-hist.bsky.social nrhodgson-hist.bsky.social @nrhodgson-hist.bsky.social · 1d
Recent research carried out by the Teaching Medieval Women group supported by NTU, shows that women are critically underrepresented in History assessments in English secondary schools at GCSE and A-Level: theconversation.com/women-are-st...
Women are still absent from how history is taught and assessed in England
Over a third of GCSE, AS and A-level exam papers in 2023 made no mention of women at all.
theconversation.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
joecozens.bsky.social
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...
Quick Check Needed
www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk
December 6, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
tsasson.bsky.social
🚨 Applications are now open for the 2026–27 Koch History Centre Fellowships at Oxford!

We are seeking 12 historians (9 junior, 3 senior) for a one-year fellowship at Wadham College & the Faculty of History.

This year’s theme: “Scarcity and Abundance”

Deadline: 17 Dec 2025

Please share widely!
November 26, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
anotheraspirin.bsky.social
It's not often that us medievalists encounter an ACTUAL DRAGON in our work, but here is one burninating the countryside and also the city of Laon.

Check it out in Bnf. Fr. 22928, fol. 210v (Miracles de Notre Dame by Gautier de Coincy).

gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/b... #MedievalSky
Manuscript illumination featuring a five-headed dragon burninating the countryside and also the city of Laon for some reason.
December 3, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
drlauravarnam.bsky.social
Attention creative medievalists! Eleanor Barraclough & I are co-editing a special issue of Public Humanities entitled CREATING THE MEDIEVAL NOW! See the cfp for details: essays of 2,000-3,000 words due 1 May 2026. (Amazing artwork by @hellomizk.bsky.social). 1/ www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
December 5, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
ctcallisen.bsky.social
Notre Dame Australia has advertised a new scholarship for postgraduate studies in Jewish history valued at over AU$56,000 per annum. They are particularly interested in students who want to focus on medieval Jewish philosophy or intellectual history.

#MedievalSky #EarlyModern #skystorians
An image of the PDF poster for The Maimonides Scholarship. It includes an image of an illuminated medieval manuscript and the following text: About the Scholarship The Maimonides Scholarship supports graduate research in Jewish philosophy and intellectual history. Candidates will complete a thesis under the supervision of Dr Raphael Dascalu. We particularly welcome proposals in medieval Jewish philosophy or intellectual history, including projects in dialogue with medieval Christian and Islamic traditions. Degree options Maimonides Scholars may enrol in one of three Notre Dame research degrees: • Master of Philosophy (MPhil) – 1.5 years full time (includes coursework) • Master of Arts (Research) (MRes) – 2 years full time (no coursework) • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – 3 years full time. Scholarship package • Stipend valued at $36,862 per annum (tax-free, indexed). • Tuition Fee Offset scholarship for domestic students valued at approximately $20,000 per annum. • International applicants may seek an International Fee Remission Scholarship. • Find out more: notredame.edu.au/scholarships. 2026 applications • Semester 1 or 2 start • Prospective applicants should contact the Centre at least a month ahead of submission. Eligibility Applicants are required to have completed substantial past study in Philosophy, Religion, Jewish Studies or related fields, usually including a previous short dissertation (such as an Honours thesis). Specific eligibility criteria for the MPhil, MRes and PhD can be found here: notredame.edu.au/hdr Enquiries: chop@nd.edu.au and raphael.dascalu@nd.edu.au Additional text includes a description of the Notre Dame Centre for the History of Philosophy (CHOP) and a brief biography for Dr Raphael Dascalu. He is Senior Research Fellow in the History of Jewish Philosophy at the Notre Dame Centre for the History of Philosophy. He specialises in the medieval Jewish philosophical tradition, particularly Judaeo-Arabic texts.
December 5, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
nandosigona.bsky.social
Useful reminder:
1) Migrant scientists already contribute to the NHS with their taxes like everyone. Abolish NHS supercharge!
2) why are only rich scientists welcome in the UK? What has wealth to do with science?

Colonial mentality is strong & alive

www.bbc.com/news/article...
Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy
Prof Sir Paul Nurse says the UK is "shooting itself in the foot" with its visa system for researchers.
www.bbc.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
juliehulme-psyc.bsky.social
This letter to the British Journal of Psychiatry tells us everything we need to know about current thinking in #autism research. Concise, accessible & powerful. Read it if you think autism = social deficits! #DoubleEmpathyProblem www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Autism diagnosis and the double empathy problem | The British Journal of Psychiatry | Cambridge Core
Autism diagnosis and the double empathy problem
www.cambridge.org
November 30, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
anneebailey1.bsky.social
And now online! www.youtube.com/live/icA1r9X...
December 5, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
josserme.bsky.social
Just received the news that I'll be at the #IMC2026, where I'll be able to talk about the bit of my research that I probably like the most: How villagers tried to care for their animals - including stuff ranging from bizarre to cute and genuinely touching.

Details and abstract below ⬇️
#envhist
Final Session Number: 1505 Session Timeslot: Thursday, 9 July 2026: 9:00 AM-10:30 AM Paper/Session Title: Alpine Animal Welfare: Perception and Treatment of Animals in Villages from Valais to Tyrol At the top is a picture of very satisfied looking ox, with this description: Painting of “the most beautiful ox”, made for abbot C. Silberysen, who also wrote a poem to commemorate this animal: StAAG, Ms WettF 33, photo: Regula Schmid-Keeling. Below that is this text: Alpine Animal Welfare: Perception and treatment of animals in villages from Valais to Tyrol The lives of humans and animals in the Middle Ages were far more intertwined than today in general, but this was especially pronounced in the Alps: Villages depended on alpine pastoralism (the Alpwirtschaft) for their livelihood and due to a lack of suitable waterways alpine transportation relied on the work of pack and draught animals. This paper will investigate the relationship between humans and animals in the Alps in the Late Middle Ages, based on sources from rural alpine communities from Valais to Tyrol. The paper will show that alpine villagers had not only a profound awareness of the needs of their animals but were also willing to go to great lengths to ensure their well-being: The first part of the paper is about how villagers dealt with challenges to animal health stemming from diseases and the environment, including sophisticated and effective measures to curb the spread of infections. The second part is a showcase for how people in the Alps treated animals as beings which deserved to be cared for: This included special rights for tired animals, a kind of maternity leave for pregnant draught horses and even a form of ‘retirement homes’ for old cows.
November 28, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
ponteineptique.bsky.social
Tldr: no, htr is not solved by gemini 3, stop evaluating on English only, start evaluating correctly when you praise LLM (which can do awesome things) and please check the sota before stating stupid stuff.
Excellent blog post👏, unfortunate it's in French 😕
December 3, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
medievalmcsheff.bsky.social
On this Trans day of remembrance, let’s think about Rolandina Ronchaia, cruelly executed in 14th-c Venice middleagesforeducators.princeton.edu/resource/cas...
The Case of Rolandina Ronchaia, a 14th - century transwoman?
In this video three historians of gender and sexuality examine the legal case of Rolandina Ronchaia, a transwoman in mid-fourteenth century Venice
middleagesforeducators.princeton.edu
November 20, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
abbiefray.bsky.social
Very excited to announce this CfP! Please share widely with anyone who might be interested! #medievalsky #skystorians #cfp #histmed #Fissures2026
aliceraw.bsky.social Alice Raw @aliceraw.bsky.social · 25d
Call for Papers! Fissures: Gender and Political Crisis #medievalsky #Fissures2026
Fissures: Gender and Political Crisis 17-18 September 2026 Pembroke College, University of Cambridge Gendered work on medieval popular politics has tended to revolve around the exceptional. This workshop explores how studies of gender can reconfigure discourses of medieval political community. We ask how attending to gendered bodies and identities might help us better understand the fissures in political culture in medieval Europe. Marking, for example, women’s participation as either absent or rare confines their involvement to the historical margins. How did literary as well as non-literary texts from various genres, ranging from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, engage with gendered political action? How did ideas of gender stabilise or destabilise political performances? We invite abstracts for 25-minute papers, as well as expressions of interest for participation. We welcome papers with a historical, literary, or interdisciplinary focus. Potential topics could include but are not limited to: • Frameworks for understanding non-normative gender expressions in political spaces. • Studies of politics at the intersection of gendered, queer, or trans methodologies. • Histories of masculinities in political community. • Emotion and/or Affect • Weaponized/defensive gender • Manoeuvring bodies through political crisis • Inclusion and exclusion • Different sites of political discourse, such as domestic and non-violent conflict. Collectively, the papers will interrogate the role of gender in political discourse. Selected papers may be considered for inclusion in an edited volume. Means-based bursaries for speakers may be available by further application. Please submit a title and abstract of no more than 200 words to Alice Raw (ar889@cam.ac.uk) and Abbie Fray (abigail.fray@unibe.ch) by 16 January 2026.
November 11, 2025 at 3:06 PM
emilybolton.bsky.social
Almost forgot to say, but I'll be talking about peasant women and customary law in Hampshire at #imc2026! Looking forward to seeing people there!
A poster with medieval illustrations that reads: I have been accepted to the Leeds International Medieval Congress, 6-9 July 2026. #imc2026, University of Leeds, www.imc.leeds.ac.uk
December 4, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
joshcoulthard.bsky.social
Don’t forget to check out Hannah Scott-Ravikumar’s article on the Jews of Medieval Poland and their modern reception also in issue 22 of @epoch-history.bsky.social, it was a pleasure to work with them!
www.epoch-magazine.com/post/the-bur...
The Burned Statute: Medieval Jews, Modern Poland
In 2021, at a white nationalist rally in Kalisz, Poland, a statute issued over eight centuries ago was burned to cheers from the assembled crowd.
www.epoch-magazine.com
December 1, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
mediev-el.bsky.social
Really pleased to have my short article out with @epoch-history.bsky.social on the experience of disability during the Hundred Years' War! The rest of the issue is a fantastic read and it was lovely to work with the editors and @joshcoulthard.bsky.social.
www.epoch-magazine.com/post/the-exp...
The Experience of Disability and Becoming Disabled in the Hundred Years’ War
‘In our said service he was and is mutilated in one of his arms’ (‘en notre dit service il a este et est mutile dun de ses bras’), is the text justifying the pardon by the council of the King of Engla...
www.epoch-magazine.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
purlgurly.bsky.social
Girl Guides of Canada has made a statement, likely in response to the cowardly decisions of Girlguiding UK. 🏳️‍⚧️
Girl Guides of Canada Inclusion makes Girl Guides of Canada stronger. It ensures that girls and youth have a place to build confidence, develop the skills to thrive and connect with a community that sees them for who they truly are. Girl Guides of Canada welcomes all girls - cisgender and transgender - as well as non-binary people who are comfortable in spaces that focus on and are driven by the experience of girls. Learn more about our commitment to inclusivity and accessibility at girlguides.ca/inclusivity Girl Guides logo with a trans flag ribbon in one corner.
December 4, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
drfrancisyoung.bsky.social
I Know What You Did Last Sumer
December 4, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
drkarrschmidt.bsky.social
Bookish Holiday Fun and Games For... YOU!

Now in its sixth year, for this #NewberryLibrary Advent Calendar, we'll play around with the collection! Cards, Board Games, Puzzles, Gambling...

What's up first?
CHESS!

December 1 (1/24)

Here's last year's extra-shiny offering:
bsky.app/profile/drka...
Black and white woodcut of a man sitting at a chessboard, holding one of the black pieces as if to invite you to play. Letterpress text above and below with some red initials, underlining, and emphasis.
December 1, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
lsangha.bsky.social
i do enjoy good journalism

“After a few hours of sleep and zero signs of injury (other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices), he was safely released back to the wild, hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer”

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Drunk raccoon found passed out in Virginia liquor store
Store employee found masked bandit sleeping off a bender after invading booze store and tippling a tad too much
www.theguardian.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
shelleybwoke.bsky.social
"“My hope is that the message that the transgender community gets from this is not one of betrayal, but is one of our desire to continue to maintain those friendships and that support,...when that anger subsides the transgender community will know that we stand with them."

Nope, it's betrayal.
adeencityartsboard.bsky.social Aberdeen City Arts Board @adeencityartsboard.bsky.social · 3d
“I spoke to one 80-year-old woman who has been in our organisation for decades, who said it was one of the greatest experiences of her life, and the only place in her 80 years where she’s been treated as a woman with respect.”
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Women’s Institute will no longer accept trans women as members from April
Exclusive: CEO says decision taken with ‘utmost regret and sadness’ after supreme court ruling on definition of a woman
www.theguardian.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
myriahwilliams.bsky.social
In a funny coincidence… thought this was my own post for a second. Instead it’s a nice overview of medieval Welsh and Irish literature!
December 3, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
bogarty.bsky.social
This is some depressing, but entirely believable, reading. Over 500 museums closed since 2000 - particularly grim reading about local authority museums.

www.museumsassociation.org/museums-jour...
Almost 530 museums have closed since 2000, study finds - Museums Association
Research project shows that first decade after opening is the most precarious for museums
www.museumsassociation.org
December 3, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Reposted by Emily Bolton
eicathomefinn.bsky.social
It's striking how little attention announcements such as this pay to evidence bases. What's the evidence of current levels of civic engagement and their benefits? Is there a benchmark? What would appropriate levels of success look like, and why? 3/3
December 3, 2025 at 9:30 AM