Contact
Expertise Summary
I am a specialist in late medieval and historical archaeology (the period from c. 1200 to 1800), with a particular interest in urban archaeology and the archaeology of standing buildings. My research interests focus on the study of domestic architecture and life within the household, the development of medieval and early modern urban landscapes, and the transformation of religious architecture in the period following the 16th-century Protestant Reformation.
I joined the Department as a Lecturer in 2011, having completed a PhD on late medieval and early modern urban houses in Norwich at the University of Reading (2006), followed by a period of four years at the University of Leicester as a Lecturer (2006-7) and as a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2007-10), where I completed a research project entitled 'Voices of Dissent: The Cultural Landscapes of Urban Nonconformity 1580-1780'.
I am particularly interested in the development of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of medieval and post-medieval archaeology, bringing together the evidence of standing buildings, archaeolgocial excavations, material culture and documentary sources to develop new understandings of the use and meaning of space and its implications for social relations and identities in this period of transition.
I am currently Archaeology Editor for the Transactions of the Thoroton Society, Nottinghamshire's historical and archaeological journal. I served as Secretary of the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology from 2011 to 2014.
Teaching Summary
I teach medieval and post-medieval archaeology at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. I cover a wide range of themes and approaches in my teaching, including landscapes, buildings and material… read more
Recent Publications
KING, C., 2016. Domestic buildings: understanding houses and society. In: GAIMSTER, D., HAMLING, T. and RICHARDSON, C., eds., The Routledge Handbook of Material Culture in Early Modern Europe Routledge. 111-125 (In Press.)
KING, C., 2015. Private lives and public power: Norwich merchants' houses between the 14th and 16th centuries. In: HESLOP, T. A. and LUNNON, H. E., eds., Norwich: Medieval and Early Modern Art, Architecture and Archaeology: The British Archaeological Association Conference Transactions XXXVIII Maney Publishing. 341-358
KING, C., 2012. Landscapes of faith and politics in early-modern Norwich. In: HESLOP, T.A., MELLINGS, E. and THØFNER, M., eds., Art, faith and place in East Anglia: from prehistory to the present Boydell Press. 179-193
KING, C. and SAYER, D., eds., 2011. The archaeology of post-medieval religion Boydell Press.
I teach medieval and post-medieval archaeology at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. I cover a wide range of themes and approaches in my teaching, including landscapes, buildings and material culture from the high medieval period to the nineteenth century - in modules such as 'Rome to Revolution: the Historical Archaeology of Britain' and 'Medieval to Modern World AD 800-1750.
I currently teach a third-year special topic on 'The Archaeology of the Medieval City' which covers in depth the development of towns and cities in Britain and Europe from c. 900 to 1500 - we explore diverse topics such as urban landscapes and topography, housing and social life, trade and economy, power and authority, and the role of religion and the Church in medieval cities. The students on this module have a lot of fun working in groups to explore specific topics in depth and produce innovative ways of presenting medieval urban heritage to a wider audience.
I am a specialist in the archaeology of standing buildings and I spend a lot of time teaching practical recording and survey methods to our students as well as issues around the history and interpretation of buildings, conservation and the management of the historic environment. There are lots of opportunities for students to get involved in practical projects and work experience here in Nottingham.
I supervise a number of postgraduate students at both masters and PhD level in topics ranging across medieval archaeology, historical archaeology and the archaeology of buildings - please contact me if you are interested in pursuing postgraduate study in these fields.