Centre for Medieval Studies
Dr Lauren Stokeld
Lauren completed her undergraduate degree in Modern and Medieval Languages and her MPhil in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at the University of Cambridge, before moving to the Centre of Medieval Studies in York for her PhD, which was passed with no corrections in December 2020. Her thesis specialised in Old English semantics, focussing on the meaning and use of the word burh (broadly ‘fortified settlement’) in Old English texts from the eighth to the eleventh centuries. The thesis was interdisciplinary, particularly bringing together linguistic and archaeological evidence, and also grappled with both the opportunities and challenges brought to historical semantics by the development of digital tools. She plans to expand and publish on her methodology and findings regarding burh, and aims to progress onto other Old English settlement terms in the future.
As a PhD student, Lauren taught Old English both to MA students and undergraduates and was a member of the Centre for Medieval Literature.
Thesis title: An Interdisciplinary Historical Semantic Study of the Old English Word Burh
Research interests: Historical semantics, medieval studies, digital humanities, use of the vernacular, buildings archaeology, interdisciplinarity, translation
