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

I applied for a Holland Visiting Fellowship, one of the Durham Collections Fellowships, to deepen my research on the communities of Catholic exiles established in Portugal during the Protestant Reformation. The Ushaw Library, managed by Durham University, holds a significant portion of the bibliographical and archival materials produced by the English College in Lisbon — a building that, though no longer in use, still stands in the city.
Maria Luisa Jacquinet
Holland Visiting Fellowship (Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, Portugal)
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)
The Durham Residential Research Library Fellowship offered a chance to work with the University’s wonderful collection of early books in a really supportive environment. Between the study spaces, the library and fellowship staff, and especially the cohort of fellows, the month in Durham didn’t just give space to think and write, but offered new connections and lasting friendships. The work I did there inspired new directions in my own research, and is now informing a larger project on the paratextual features of manuscripts and early printed books. This has been a real highlight in my academic career.
Jonathan Zecher
Barker Visiting Fellowship (Australian Catholic University, Australia)
The Barker Visiting Fellowship allowed me to become a temporary member of the vibrant community of Durham University and to extend my network with UK scholars that I am sure will bring fruitful cooperation in the future. From the scientific perspective, it permitted me to boost my progress on my project provisionally titled Uranian Poetics: Girolamo Fracastoro and the Tradition of Medical Scientific Poetry. The core of my activity consisted of the consultation of manuscripts and old printed editions preserved by the Palace Green Library, particularly the texts from the Kellet Collection and the Magby Library. Among the material that...
Enrico Piergiacomi
Barker Visiting Fellowship (Technion University of Haifa (Israel)., Israel)
My Durham Research Library Fellowship was a fantastic experience. I collaborated with Durham faculty and other visiting researchers, and made great headway on my research projects in early modern British and Catholic history. In the Ushaw College library, I was able to trace how English Catholics were interpreting and responding to the political and religious conflicts that rent the European continent in the late eighteenth century. I now have invaluable epistolary and other evidence of the English Catholic communities divisions during this exciting time in history.
Dr Shaun Blanchard
DRRL Visiting Fellowship (Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, USA)
I was honoured to be granted a Visiting PhD Bursary at the DRRL. Durham University staff gave me a warm welcome and helped me all throughout my research stay. This fellowship was a great opportunity to work on the Poor Clares Darlington Collection held in Palace Green Library. With the assistance of the archivists and librarians, I was able to consult a great number of manuscripts. These primary sources allowed me to analyse and compare different aspects of female lived spirituality within English Poor Clare convents which is at the heart of my PhD. Last but not least, this award...
Claire Schiano-Locurcio
PhD Bursary (Aix-Marseille Université, France)
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)
Nearly five years after my time in Durham, I still remember that time fondly. It was an incredibly productive month for me, since it allowed me the concentrated time to be able to engage with colleagues, access a world-class library, and have the time and space to pursue my research and writing without interruption.
Professor Jeremy Hutton
DRRL Visiting Fellowship (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA)
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)
Durham University’s Residential Research Fellowship was a delightful experience. For part of a new book I’m writing on the history of empires and resistance, I used the Sudan Collection, arguably the most important archive of the British Empire in the Sudan. It is an amazing collection. I highly recommend this fellowship program, which brings together different scholars and offers them a rare sense of community in one of England’s most beautiful university settings. It’s world-class, and I want to return!
James Le Sueur
Barker Visiting Fellowship (University of Nebraska, USA)