Dr Oscar Patton
Postdoctoral Associate Member
I am an historian of society, culture, and religion in early modern Britain and Europe. I am particularly interested in ecclesiastical institutions and their members during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with a particular focus on the individuals responsible for the performance of liturgy, and the appearance and sound of these ceremonies.
Research Interests
My doctoral research examined the Chapel Royal under the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I/VI. With particular focus on royal ritual, liturgy, architecture, music, and sermons, these components were examined to stress the importance of the Chapel Royal in the articulation of spiritual and temporal authority over court, church, and nation. I am also interested in the broader interplay of theology, authority, and court ritual in Tudor and Stuart England, and am currently developing my thesis into a monograph (which will also include the reign of Charles I), and a postdoctoral project on the liturgical staff of England and Wales's cathedrals between 1558 and 1642.
In July 2024 I co-organised the British Academy funded conference 'Music and Majesty: Chapels Royal, cathedrals, and colleges, 1485-1688', and am an editor of the Proceedings of the British Academy edited collection, provisionally titled 'Music and Majesty: Chapels Royal and Extraordinary Spaces, c.1560-1700', currently in preparation.
I completed a BA in History at the University of York in 2020, an MSt in Early Modern History at Jesus College, Oxford, in 2021, and my DPhil in History at Merton College, Oxford, in 2025.
My doctoral research was generously funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Merton College, Oxford.
