Stories from beyond the Page

The Trust On…
Stories from beyond the Page: New Research from Fifteenth-Century Archives in England and Europe

Pierre Coustain (attr.), posthumous panel painting of the coat of arms of King Edward IV, ca.1481. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum.

On 17 October 2026, the Yorkist History Trust will organise a conference showcasing research projects which have received support from the Trust in the past years.

Seven scholars from all stages of the academic trajectory will present important new findings from their research on fifteenth-century England and Europe, with a focus on (among other things) the book trade, material culture in big cities, political news reports and the travelling of information, the agency of religious women, and manuscript studies.

Join us in person for this exciting series of academic papers! The conference will take place on Saturday 17 October, 10AM to 5.30PM in the Reemtsma Auditorium, at The Warburg Institute, Woburn Square, London. Tickets are £10. Please click here to register on Eventbrite.

Programme:

10 – 10.25: Registration, tea and coffee

10.25: Opening remarks and welcome: Christian Steer

10.30 – 12.15: Session I
Chair: Christian Steer

Matthew Payne (Westminster Abbey) – A Curious Acquaintanceship: Robert Fabyan, William Lily and the Purchase of Books in Italy in the 1490s

James Hartley (University of Oxford) – The Blood of Kings: A Study of Brasenose MS 91

Edward L. Meek (Independent Scholar) – Dispatches from the Diplomatic Frontline: Burgundian Reports from England in 1480

12.15 – 13.45: Lunch (own arrangements)

13:45 – 15.00: Session II
Chair: Joanna Laynesmith

David Harry (University of Chester) – Brewing for Eternity: Alehouses and Perpetual Chantries in the Records of St Nicholas Shambles, Newgate, London

Eliot Benbow (Institute of Historical Research) – From the Everyday to the Extraordinary: Material Culture Bequests from the Probate Registers of London (1449-83)

Gaston Phébus, Count of Foix, Dictating to a Scribe, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Ms. 27 (87.MR.34), fol. 3, c. 1430–1440.

15 – 15.45: Tea and coffee

15.45 – 17.00: Session III
Chair: Maryanne Kowaleski

Virigina Bainbridge (Independent Scholar) – Social Climbing in Fifteenth-century England: Abbess Constance Browne of Syon and Family Patronage of an Elite Religious Institution

Ted Westervelt (Library of Congress, Washington DC) – Un royaume en petit: Insights from the Duchy of Lancaster Registers, 1478-1485

17.00: Closing Remarks: Christian Liddy

Tickets are 10 GBP each. Tea and coffee will be provided on site, while lunch is at own arrangement.