Margaret Coombe
Lady Margaret Hall
Research Interests
I am currently working to expand on my DPhil on Reginald of Durham by producing for publication by OUP the edited text, a translation and a commentary on Reginald’s Latin Life of St Godric of Finchale.
This text, viewed as whole and by comparison with contemporary Latin, not modern English, and set into the context of twelfth-century Durham and the hagiographical tradition, reveals a great deal about the functioning of a medieval monastic community and its spheres of influence.
Since they have proved to be very fertile sources, I am also researching the much broader issues about the twelfth century which Reginald’s texts raise. These include close manuscript examination to identify scribes and authors, prosopography and geography, gender issues, health and welfare, material culture, travel and transport, weather and flooding, Durham Cathedral building and the development of Durham in general, the effects of thwarted ambition on historical and hagiographical output, the cult of saints in Northumberland, and land ownership in the North East of England in the long twelfth century.
Publications
- The Latin Life of St Godric of Finchale by Reginald of Durham: text, translation and commentary, OUP (forthcoming).