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Derek Crosby

Biographical Details

I was born and raised in Cleator Moor, near the western shore of Cumbria, and after attending St Bees School from 2001 until 2008 I was accepted to Queen's. Three years studying for a bachelor's degree in History and Politics sharpened my interest in medieval history, and following that interest I took the Medieval History pathway of the MA History Programme, graduating in the winter of 2012. My Master of Arts dissertation focussed around a study of the norms of violence on the Anglo-Scots border between 1550 and 1625. I am in the first year of my PhD research at time of writing.

Research topic

My current project is entitled ‘A Crowded Urban Space: Conflict and Identity in an English Town, 1300-1800’ and examines the role of spaces and places in the formation of identities within the city of Norwich; as well as examining the way in which these spaces and places are reappropriated and reshaped by forms of urban conflict such as riots, protests and occupations as well as marches, processions and pageantry. I aim to establish a long-view perspective of the use of spaces and places in conflicts by choosing five conflicts that affected the city of Norwich (The 1381 Revolt, the 1443 Gladman Procession, the 1549 Kett's Rebellion, the 1664 'Great Blow' and the 1776 Bread Riots) and comparing the use of spaces in those times of conflict with the use of spaces in the surrounding years.

Supervision

My Supervisors are James Davis (History) and Carl Griffin (Geography).