I completed my BSc in Archaeology at UCL in 2020 before moving on to the University of Oxford to pursue a MSc in Environmental Archaeology, of which I graduated in 2021. My master’s research investigated the landscape history of a Peak District valley using palynological records. Despite the remote location of the valley, I discovered the valley had been the focus of much agricultural activity from the Romano-British period – with cereal cultivation – to the medieval period, with varying degrees of grazing activity.
Wishing to take a break from academia after my masters, I worked for a year in London as an Archaeology Specialist for an urban planning company working in the Middle East and Africa. This allowed me to work on a variety of projects abroad and appreciate the need for both built-heritage and landscape conservation.
Current Research
My DPhil research will explore the land-use history of different upland areas in England, from the Neolithic to the Romano-British era. This spans a key period during which the upland British landscapes as we know them probably developed. Woodland clearances may have made space for cultivation, but also other land-uses – from grazing to meadowing – were likely in place. Using palynological indicators, remote-sensing and field survey techniques, my research will aim to determine how late prehistoric land-uses have shaped the present-day landscape. This has implications for modern ecosystem restoration and “rewilding”, which often aim towards a return to wild conditions without considering the landscape as a thousand-years old artefact.
