What are the fellowships?

The Durham Collections Fellowships scheme is delighted to invite applications from researchers for Visiting Fellowships of one month in duration.

The aim of the Durham Collections Fellowships is to enable and foster research across the historic collections of Durham, notably Palace Green Library, the Museum of Archaeology, the Oriental Museum, the Library of Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens (formerly Ushaw College, the former Roman Catholic seminary just outside the City), and the medieval Priory Library and the archives and object collections of Durham Cathedral. The resources available to scholars include not only libraries and archives, but also collections of visual and material culture, and architectural assets. The purpose of the Visiting Fellowships is to support research into these globally significant collections.

Durham University would like to express our sincere thanks to Graham and Joanna Barker, Chris and Margaret Lendrum, and Peter and Tina Holland, for their generous support of fellowship schemes at Durham Collections Fellowships.

The Barker Visiting Fellowships are intended to support research into any of the collections held in Durham and there are a number of Lendrum Priory Library Fellowships available
specifically to support work on the surviving contents of Durham Cathedral’s medieval priory library. This collection is currently the focus of a large-scale digitisation project, Durham
Priory Library Recreated www.durhampriory.ac.uk.

The Lendrum Fellowships are intended to support research into any of the collections but there is a preference for applicants wishing to use the historic book collections of Durham. This is interpreted broadly to include consultation of individual books, study of specific collections, research into the material forms of books, histories of book circulation and collecting, plus consideration of the readers of books. We welcome applications from both academic and practitioner researchers at all stages in their career.

We are also delighted to announce the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Fellowship, which is to support applicants based in Japan to come to Durham to work on any of the collections.

The Lord Crewe’s Charity Fellowships are open to any applicant wishing to work on the Bamburgh Library Collection. The remit is wide, from those wishing to research it as a collection, to those planning to consult an individual item, and also includes the material culture of the books.

Fellows will be encouraged to work collaboratively with academic subject specialists, librarians, archivists and curators to realise the collections ‘ research potential, and to develop innovative research agendas. They will also be encouraged to participate in the life of the University, particularly its broad range of seminar series.

All Fellowships

Holland Visiting Fellowship

26 Fellows

Lendrum Priory Visiting Fellowship

16 Fellows

Barker Visiting Fellowship

53 Fellows

DRRL Visiting Fellowship

23 Fellows

PhD Bursary

4 Fellows

Thoits Visiting Fellowship

1 Fellow

Lendrum Book Visiting Fellowship

2 Fellows

Sasakawa Visiting Fellowship

0 Fellows

Lord Crewe Visiting Fellowship

1 Fellow

The Spanish Gallery Collection research fellowships

Two fellowships are available to undertake research into the collection of the Spanish Gallery in Bishop Auckland.

The fellowships are affiliated with the Zurbarán Centre and Durham Collections Fellowships. Generously funded by the Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica (CEEH), each fellowship includes a monthly stipend of £2,100. An allowance for research-related travel will be available on request. The fellows will be part of the University‘s research community and have privileged access to the Spanish Gallery.

Find out more information and apply

"The Residential Research Fellowship at Durham University provided me with vital, extended access to important collections that uncovered, and helped explain how and why, Catholic kin networks engaged in settler colonialism and the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved people in a bid to secure their own safety from anti-Catholic legislation. The collections proved that these networks were vast, global, and connected to theological and cultural change brought about by the Catholic Reformation as much by Protestant ones. Most importantly, the advice that I received from staff at Durham and Ushaw College with expert familiarity with these collections meant that I developed...

Dr Helen Kilburn

DRRL Visiting Fellowship (University of Manchester, England)

'The opportunity to work intensively with the manuscript treasures of Durham special collections was invaluable. The collegial and friendly atmosphere generated in the cohort of fellows was an added bonus!'

Professor Gordon Pentland

Barker Visiting Fellowship (University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom)

My Durham Research Library Fellowship in 2019 was immensely enjoyable and productive. It was a pleasure to spend my time engaging with primary sources and writing after a long period spent in administration. All the team at Durham were very supportive and made the logistics of the fellowship easy, and Durham was a wonderful place to spend four a half with my wife. This was a very productive time and I am greatly indebted to Durham for the fellowship.

David Trim

DRRL Visiting Fellowship (Seventh Day Adventists, USA)

The Lendrum Fellowship at the DRRL gave me the opportunity to work extensively with the fantastic archival material of Palatinate Durham in the Palace Green Library. The fact that I was also affiliated with the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies was ideal. I received a very warm welcome here and was able to discuss research intensively with other colleagues. In addition, I very much enjoyed the possibility of unrestricted access to the libraries via the Durham Card. In terms of British academic life, it was very rewarding to get an insight into a college through St Chad's College....

Professor Christian Hesse

Lendrum Priory Visiting Fellowship (University of Bern, Switzerland)

The Barker Visiting Fellowship was an extraordinary human and professional opportunity for at least three reasons. Firstly, the fellowship allowed me to profitably pursue my studies on Benedictine figurative culture between the 16th and 19th centuries. More specifically, the collections of the Palace Green Library, the documents preserved at Ushaw College and the paintings kept in the castle (especially those from the 17th and 18th centuries) were very relevant in this regard. Secondly, my stay in Durham offered me the opportunity to closely examine the conspicuous artistic heritage housed in the county's museum network, giving me the chance to make...

Mauro Vincenzo Fontana

Barker Visiting Fellowship (Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy)

My fellowship at Durham (Lendrum Priory Residential Research Library Fellowship) was transformative for my research as it enabled me to access the little-studied medieval collections of Ushaw College in situ and even discover a hitherto unknown original charter of King John (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-47698594)

Dr Benjamin Pohl

(University of Bristol, England)

The nature of my research required that I call up a very large number of rare books, which the staff of the library was extremely helpful with throughout my time in Durham. Lord William Howard’s personal library is a treasure trove for anyone interested to study Elizabethan and Caroline Catholic culture in England

Earle Havens

Holland Visiting Fellowship (John Hopkins University, USA)

I was awarded the Durham Research Library Fellowship in 2022 for two months (May and June). It was a very rewarding time. The kindness of the staff and the helpfulness of the librarians, who always made me feel at home, allowed me to carry on my research fruitfully at Ushaw College Library. Durham is also a vibrant university town and the Durham Research Library Fellowship provides many opportunities for academic networking and exchange with other Fellows.

Valfredo Maria Rossi

Holland Visiting Fellowship (Georgian University, Italy)

The fellowship was excellent – the resources at Ushaw were exceptional and really helpful to my work.

Dr Karly Kehoe

Holland Visiting Fellowship (St Mary ‘s University, Canada)

I am very grateful for the opportunity this fellowship has afforded me to focus on the rich materials available at Palace Green Library. Durham has been a wonderful place to work, and the fellowship scheme is very welcoming and helps you connect with other fellows while giving you plenty of time to get your work done. I have been able to work with materials I couldn’t have found anywhere else and would encourage others to look into what’s available in the amazing collections here.

Joanne Myers

Barker Visiting Fellowship (Gettysburg College, USA)

Named fellowships