AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) Studentship – Law & Equity in Flux: The Court of Chancery during the Civil War & Interregnum (c. 1640-1660)

University College London and The National Archives are pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded Collaborative doctoral studentship from 1^st October 2024, under the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Scheme.

The PhD project will investigate the records of the Court of Chancery during the English Civil War and Interregnum (c. 1640-1660). The key aims of this project are to better understand how the Court of Chancery was being used by litigants between 1640 and 1660, and to unlock the records of this court through original research and cataloguing. The project has intentionally broad research aims to allow the student to develop their own research questions and answers based on discoveries in these collections. Their initial investigation of these records will provide them with case studies, which can be approached in a variety of ways depending on the student’s interests.

The richness of the records, the high stakes of the litigation, and the political uncertainty of the period promise to make this project an insightful and important archival study which will serve as a benchmark for future studies.

The key research questions of the project are:

1. How did the Court of Chancery function during this tumultuous period?
2. How and for what reason did litigants use this court?

Applicants should ideally have or expect to receive a relevant Masters-level qualification or be able to demonstrate equivalent experience in a setting involving knowledge of and critical reflection on relevant topics, such as Legal History, Constitutional History, and Political History. Suitable disciplines are flexible but might include Law or History.

As a collaborative award, students will be expected to spend time at both the University and The National Archives.

Any questions should be directed to UCL’s Faculty of Laws PhD team at phd-law@ucl.ac.uk

Applications will be considered following the 24^th June application deadline, initially to be short-listed for interview.

Interviews will take place online, via Zoom, in July 2024.

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