Poverty, Work and Punishment: Vagrancy Across the Midlands, 1834 to 1930

The Universities of Leicester and Nottingham as part of Midlands Graduate School is now inviting applications for an ESRC Doctoral Studentship in association with our collaborative partner The National Archives to commence in October 2018.

The vagrant is an iconic figure in welfare history. Fear over this group was a factor in the implementation of the Old Poor Law. For its 1834 successor, the New Poor Law (NPL) the vagrant is a historiographical leitmotif for policy success (where vagrant numbers fell) or failure. Despite the survival of considerable sources for quantitative and qualitative analysis, however, the nineteenth-century vagrant remains much-neglected. Your study will begin to rectify this situation. You will focus on the nature and experience of vagrancy in 15 Poor Law Unions selected for their coverage of different socio-economic typologies, in a broad band running from Cambridgeshire through to Shropshire and Staffordshire. The studentship will particularly suit those with interests in social and welfare policy, class, power, identity and agency.

Applicants will be expected to demonstrate an excellent record of academic achievement in History or a related discipline, and potential for completing an original and independent research project in modern history, using social and/or economic historical methods of enquiry.

The successful candidate will be joining a strong team of existing PhD students in social and economic history working under the supervision of Professor Steve King and Dr Sarah Badcock. Dr Paul Carter, Principal Modern Domestic Records Specialist at The National Archives, will provide additional supervision.

This studentship offers a unique opportunity for the award-holder to receive training and gain experience in The National Archive, as well as to undertake an original research project.

Application and Enquiries
To be considered for this PhD, please complete the Collaborative Studentship application form available online here and email this to Louise Taylor ([Email Address Removed])

Informal enquiries about the research, application process or the University of Leicester School of History, Politics and International Relations, where the student will be based, can be directed to Professor Steven King ([Email Address Removed])