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.

 

We also extend our  gratitude to Lord Crewe's Charity, the Great British Sasakawa Foundation and the Sino-British Fellowship Trust for their generous contributions.

Named fellowships

The Barker Visiting Fellowships are intended to support research into any of the collections held in Durham, while the Lendrum Priory Library Fellowships 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.

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.

We are pleased to include in this programme, 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.

This year, we are also delighted to announce the Sino-British Fellowship Trust Visiting Fellowships which are intended to support research into any of the collections, and are reserved specifically for those based at Chinese institutions. We welcome applications from both academic and practitioner researchers at all stages in their career

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

17 Fellows

Barker Visiting Fellowship

56 Fellows

DRRL Visiting Fellowship

23 Fellows

PhD Bursary

4 Fellows

Thoits Visiting Fellowship

1 Fellow

Lendrum Book Visiting Fellowship

2 Fellows

Sasakawa Visiting Fellowship

1 Fellow

Lord Crewe Visiting Fellowship

1 Fellow

Other research fellowships

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

This Research Fellowship gave me the opportunity to immerse myself into the The Cremation Society Archives held at Palace Green Library. It was a special opportunity not only because I was able to study original material from the collection, but also because it was my first time I was back into a libary since the COVID pandemic. Only then I realised I much I missed seeing and feeling original documents but also connect with other scholars on the Fellowship programme.
Gian Luca Amadei
Barker Visiting Fellowship (Royal College of Art, Italy)
I express my gratitude to Durham University for offering me the Residential Research Library fellowship. My experience at Durham was very enriching. Along with the great academic exposure, I got the chance to explore the rich cultural heritage of a beautiful Romanesque city. It is substantially important to mention that the visiting fellows are given access to all the resources. From navigating through the rich archives and rare collections to exploring the latest research in the Bill Bryson library, everything was hassle-free. The functionaries at all the places are very welcoming. Overall, my stay at Durham has been very fruitful...
Veenat Arora
Barker Visiting Fellowship (Panjab University, India)
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)
I was honoured and delighted to be awarded the visiting fellowship. Although I have visited Durham many times for the purpose of my project it was only on this visit that I had a formal link with the university itself and the opportunity to collaborate. I enjoyed giving talks to the History Department and to the Durham Sixth Form Centre and teaching Latin Palaeography; and it was a great pleasure to have the affiliation with St Chad’s College during my time in Durham.
Elizabeth Gemmill
Lendrum Priory Visiting Fellowship (University of Oxford, England)
My DRRL Visiting Fellowship allowed me the time and scope – and, crucially, the financial support – I required in order to initiate a new research project on English northern cathedral communities in the eighteenth century. At every stage of my Fellowship, I had prompt organisational support and tie-ins with other resident Fellows and permanent members of the History and Theology Departments. No less supportive were the staff at Ushaw College and the opportunity for membership of St Chad ‘s College SCR added a much-valued additional dimension of academic collegiality. Above all, it was the helpfulness of library staff in...
Nigel Aston
DRRL Visiting Fellowship (University of Leicester, England)
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)
I am grateful for the opportunity to spend an inspiring research month in Durham and make a great use of an astonishing collections of Durham libraries, especially Palace Green and Ushaw College. Early modern old prints as well as an impressive range of current scholarship’s books on the shelves enabled me to explore a great number of sources crucial for my research in just one month. I was really impressed by the library holdings, professional services as well as its facilities. I am grateful also for the chance to consult the matter of my project with Durham University staff and...
Martina Kastnerova
Barker Visiting Fellowship (University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Czech Republic and Slovakia)
It is difficult to overstate just how transformative my experience as a Fellow was: the unfettered, in situ access to Durham's rare book and archive collections, particularly those relatively untapped at Ushaw College, offered a research opportunity that I may never have again. The incredible productivity that ensued, in which I both collaborated and wrote far more than I had promised, is testament to the inspiring and encouraging environment that these Fellowships foster.
Leah Tether
Holland Visiting Fellowship (University of Bristol, 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)
The Baker Fellowship allowed me to spend a month researching at Ushaw and Palace Green Special Collections. During my visit, I met scholars from diverse backgrounds and discovered primary sources that expand my previous research on Anglo-Iberian relations, Brazilian history, and Atlantic history. The fellowship exceeded my expectations, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have spent time in Durham. As a result of my fellowship, I anticipate new career and research opportunities.
Luciane Scarato
DRRL Visiting Fellowship (Independent Scholar, Brazil)