London Society for Medieval Studies

05/02/2025

Exciting news! On 11/02 LSMS is hosting TWO speakers to talk to us about 'Medieval Manuscripts: Exploring Craftsmanship, Ownership, and Use': Sophia Adams and Edward Cheese! Please join us at Senate House or online at 17.30. Book your free spot at

Thome famulo tuo’: An Owner for Beinecke MS 410 Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library MS 410 is a finely decorated late fifteenth-century prayer roll. Currently, its first owner, depicted as a kneeling cleric beneath an image of the Five Wounds, has not been identified with any certainty. This i...

26/01/2025

Please join us on 28/01 for LSMS' first seminar of term. Ana Gómez-Bravo will be speaking to us on 'Constructing Racialized Difference in Early Spain: Key Language and Concepts'. As always, the seminar is free. It is online only and booking is essential:

The presentation will examine various aspects of the lexicon and semantics that helped in the conceptual construction of social and religious inferiority during the late Middle Ages. Such construction rests on the central role assigned to physical as well as religious difference, a difference marked...

09/12/2024

LSMS is thrilled to be hearing from Nancy Haijing Jiang on 'Bargaining Against Despair in Medieval Sermon Exempla' tomorrow - we can't wait! The paper is at the usual time of 17.30 and will be online via Zoom, so make sure you sign up for your free slot!

Founded in 1970/1, the London Society for Medieval Studies seeks to foster knowledge of, and dialogue about, the Middle Ages (c.500–c.1500 CE)...

03/12/2024

ANNOUNCEMENT OF TITLE CHANGE: Next week Nancy Haijing Jiang will be speaking to us about "Bargaining Against Despair in Medieval Sermon Exempla"! There's still plenty of time to sign up to this online talk: https://www.history.ac.uk/seminars/london-society-medieval-studies
We're looking forward to this exciting paper!

Founded in 1970/1, the London Society for Medieval Studies seeks to foster knowledge of, and dialogue about, the Middle Ages (c.500–c.1500 CE)...

11/11/2024

There's still time to sign up for tomorrow's talk by Elizabeth Robertson on 'Geoffrey Chaucer's Clerk's Tale and Late Medieval Voluntarism'! It will be held online via Zoom at 17.30 GMT - we can't wait to see you there!

In this paper, I shall argue that Geoffrey Chaucer, in one of his most problematic tales, The Clerk’s Tale, affirms the radical power of the will in terms consonant with the urgent debates about the nature of the will taking place among late medieval philosophers known as voluntarists. The tale’...

06/11/2024

Have you signed up for Elizabeth Robertson's talk, 'Geoffrey Chaucer's Clerk's Tale and Late Medieval Voluntarism', on Tuesday 12th November? This seminar is online only, and you must register for your FREE spot:
https://www.history.ac.uk/events/geoffrey-chaucers-clerks-tale-and-late-medieval-voluntarism
We look forward to seeing you!

In this paper, I shall argue that Geoffrey Chaucer, in one of his most problematic tales, The Clerk’s Tale, affirms the radical power of the will in terms consonant with the urgent debates about the nature of the will taking place among late medieval philosophers known as voluntarists. The tale’...

22/10/2024

We're so excited for Julia Bungey's paper, 'Ladies, Lordships and Losses: The Lives of Three Generations of Aristocratic Women in the Fifteenth Century' - how about you? Join us in-person or online on 29/10 at 5.30! To book your spot, follow the link:

This paper explores the life cycles of three generations of medieval aristocratic women: Alice Montagu (1407-1462), her daughter, Katherine Neville (1442-1504) and her granddaughter, Cecily Bonville (1460-1529).

22/10/2024

Check out our seminar schedule for the 2024/25 Autumn Term! Lots of exciting talks on the agenda this term - we hope to see lots of you there!

10/06/2024

We're very excited to hear Dr Sara Pons-Sanz speak to us about 'Words Derived from Old Norse in the Ormulum' TOMORROW, at the usual time of 17.30! It's not too late to sign up for your spot - get the Zoom link below:
https://www.history.ac.uk/events/thwerrtut-clene-grammcunndlec-7-thwerrtut-clene-braththe-words-derived-old-norse-ormulum
We hope you can join us!

05/06/2024

Our final seminar of the year is taking place next Tuesday! Dr Sara Pons-Sanz will be speaking about 'Words Derived from Old Norse in the Ormulum'. This seminar is online only - for the Zoom link, please register for free at the link below.

27/05/2024

Tomorrow Dr Hannah Boston will be speaking to us about 'Lords and common lands in England during the central middle ages'! There's still time to register for free at the link below. We hope you can join us at 5.30 for a great evening!

11 Jun 2024 Þwerrtut clene off grammcunndleᵹᵹc / 7 þwerrtut clene off braþþe: Words Derived from Old Norse in the Ormulum

24/05/2024

LSMS is looking for new committee members! If you're a London-based medievalist with a love for sharing the latest knowledge and research (and having a drink afterwards :) ), we'd be delighted to hear from you. The deadline for applying is 15th June - please get in touch!

22/05/2024

We at LSMS are super excited for Dr Hannah Boston to tell us all about 'Lords and Common Lands in England during the Central Middle Ages' on 28th May! Register now at the link below to attend in-person or online, and join us for a drink afterwards!

11 Jun 2024 Þwerrtut clene off grammcunndleᵹᵹc / 7 þwerrtut clene off braþþe: Words Derived from Old Norse in the Ormulum

16/05/2024

You can register now to join us for Dr Hannah Boston's 'Lords and common lands in England during the central Middle Ages' on 28th May, both in-person and online! As always, it's free to attend and there will be drinks afterwards!

11 Jun 2024 Þwerrtut clene off grammcunndleᵹᵹc / 7 þwerrtut clene off braþþe: Words Derived from Old Norse in the Ormulum

13/05/2024

We're very much looking forward to hearing Dr Hope Doherty-Harrison's paper on 'Typologies of the Bride(s) in Medieval Christian Literature and Art' TOMORROW online at 17.30. There's plenty of time to register for free through the link - see you there!
https://www.history.ac.uk/events/typologies-brides-medieval-christian-literature-and-art

08/05/2024

We at LSMS are very excited to welcome Dr Hope Doherty-Harrison next Tuesday to hear her new research on 'Typologies of the Bride(s) in Medieval Christian Literature and Art'! The talk is online only - to register and get the Zoom link, click below!

11 Jun 2024 Þwerrtut clene off grammcunndleᵹᵹc / 7 þwerrtut clene off braþþe: Words Derived from Old Norse in the Ormulum

30/04/2024

It's not too late to sign up for this evening's talk by Dr Stuart Pracy, 'Social Mobility as Resistance in Early Medieval England, c. 950 - c. 1150'! As always, the seminar is FREE and will be followed by drinks - please join us tonight, at 17.30!

Founded in 1970/1, the London Society for Medieval Studies seeks to foster knowledge of, and dialogue about, the Middle Ages (c.500–c.1500 CE)...

23/04/2024

Join us for a really exciting talk by Dr Stuart Pracy on 'Social Mobility As Resistance in Early Medieval England, c. 950 - c. 1150', at the usual time of 17.30 on 30th April. This seminar will be followed by drinks - book your free place now!

Scholarship predominately defines non-nobles, and especially peasants, by the manorial world which they inhabited, portraying them as being bound to the land and paying their lords through labour. Attempts to transgress the narrow avenues of power are typically identified in activities such as foot-...