Are you a PhD student & interested in using museum collections in your teaching or research?

We're running a *free* doctoral training programme for students at any institution to learn about working with collections.

Find out more:

collections.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/

Genuine pleasure to be an absolute unit once more! Curious to hear listeners’ opinions on the speculatory nature of this research, and how that might clash with archival neutrality.

Thank you to the eternally wonderful Joe and Ollie for guiding me through my first time on a podcast - if intense ramblings about finding queer snippets in rural archives is your thing, give it a listen! @themerl.bsky.social

Earlier this year, I visited Tate Britain to explore the archive of the artists Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines, a same-sex couple who lived in rural Suffolk from the 1930s onwards. In Lett's diaries I found this entry which describes two friends of theirs, Oswald and Jack, as "boyfriends".

I'm giving a talk on queer histories of rural England in July! If you're in the Berwick area and want to find out more about how I'm using archives to explore this under-researched topic, please do sign up and/or share with anyone else who may be interested

www.maltingsberwick.co.uk/whats-on/ced...

Four years ago today, I somehow got away with uploading this utter nonsense to the @themerl.bsky.social website:

Can highly recommend this as something to listen to whilst sat in a reading room, going through countless ledgers on mine administration, seeing the word "boring" on every page

I wouldn't normally post about this sort of thing, but just had to say that the romance scene in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 between Henry and Hans is one of the sweetest things I have ever seen in a video game. Beautifully acted as well. Will no doubt stay with me for a long time.

My first time being threatened by the author of a 19th century farm diary... I hope Aylesbury Gaol has good Wifi!

(Found at @themerl.bsky.social under archive reference FR BER 40/1/1)

If you have any interest in queer histories of the English countryside, be sure to check out the first publication of my PhD - an article for the amazing folks over at The MERL:

The first published finding of my PhD, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with queer history

I'm starting to think that 19th century farm diarists didn't have queer research in mind when they were writing... why is it always "a heron flew over the corn field today" and never "the new farmhand has the dreamiest eyes"

Haven't found a single name with hearts around it either!

The new Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund is now open for applications 🥳

We're supporting projects using museum collections to improve inclusion and equitable working with community partners, and the new name better represents our dual focus on collections and inclusion.

Things that farmer George Cannell wrote about in his 1882 diary:

Carting muck
Carting mould
Carting manure

Things that farmer George Cannell did not write about in his 1882 diary:

Anything gay

Anyone have advice on how to stay sane while ploughing through page after page of squirrelly 19th century handwriting?

Looking for radical histories on Bluesky?

We've made a Starter Pack of people & organisations who stretch our idea of what history is, who it is made by & what it is for.

Please share and let us know if you'd like to be added.
🗃️ & ✊🗃️

go.bsky.app/Bb57VmV

Over the past year we've had a great team of researchers investigating our Victorian records for traces of Buckinghamshire's LGBTQ+ past, and now we're looking to create some art to bring their stories to life!

Interested in volunteering? Apply at the link below.

forms.gle/YgsRqKarCLMe...

@themerl.bsky.social Any plans for a Christmas blog this year? I keep finding straw goats around my flat and I hold you accountable