Luke Kelly

Background

I am an English scholar, who began my PhD studies at Mittuniversitetet in 2023.

I read History at The University of Hull for my bachelor's degree. At Hull, I read on medieval and early modern history, as well as historiography.

Following my bachelor's, I entered the teaching profession training at the University of West of England. Upon completing my PGCE I taught History for 11-18 year olds in English comprehensive schools in England.

In 2015, I returned to my formal studies, enrolling on the Early Modern Studies, MA at Uppsala University. My master's thesis, The Value of Books: The York Minster Library as a social arena for commodity exchange, centred upon the donations of literature to York Minster library. This was successfully defended in 2018.

Following my master's, I once again returned to teaching. Whilst teaching I still pursued my own research interests. Here, I successfully applied for PhD at Mittuniversitetet.

Area of interest

I am interested in the sub-discipline of Book History, specifically pursuing the history of libraries in early modern England. In addition to this, I explore the religious, political and social changes which occurred in England in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and early-eighteenth century.

Research

I am currently researching into the changes which occurred in English cathedrals libraries in the long seventeenth century. Central to my approach is the mechanism of donations, the formation of networks and the interplay of books and human donators within social, religious and political environments.

I am also part of the Medieval and Early Modern Research Group at Mittuniversitetet.

Conferences/Workshops attended:
21-11-2025: Temadag för specialsamlingar (Theme day for special collections), at Roggebiblioteket, Strängnäs. Presentation: 'Pray place your books wherd you had them’: An investigation into Canterbury and Gloucester cathedral libraries in the seventeenth century.

21-09-2024: WissensWelten Conference, Gotha. Presentation as part of the panel: Building the republic of letters: Book donations, dedications and collections as knowledge circulation and social practice (c. 1640–1800). Presentation: Cathedral libraries networked and catalogued: An investigation into book donations as a social practice in early modern England.

24-05-2024: Skokloster Library travel literature collections. Presentation: ’God blesse the King of Swedens Majestie’: Robert Nicholas’ donation of ’The Swedish Intelligencer’ to Gloucester Cathedral Library.

07/11/2023 - Early Modern semi-public libraries workshop. Presentation: Cathedral libraries networked and catalogued: An investigation into book donations as a social practice in early modern England

Teaching and tutoring

I am the course leader of 'A Kingdome Burning: The English Civil War, 1642 - 1649', which is offered as a distance summer course.