Prof Tom James 

Professor Emeritus in Archaeology and History 

 

Email:

Tom.James@winchester.ac.uk 

Fax:

+44 (0)1962 827103 

Address:

Biography

I have worked at the University of Winchester for over 30 years, first in the Department of History before contributing to the founding of the Department of Archaeology in 1979, since when I have worked in both departments. While sustaining my academic interests, I am currently working on the material culture and history of the University of Winchester and am Co-ordinator for the training of doctoral supervisors in the University. Prior to coming to Winchester I undertook my undergraduate MA and won a university scholarship to study for my doctorate at St Andrews University in Scotland. After that I was a Social Science Research Council Research Fellow in the Department of History at Southampton before becoming Deputy Director of excavations in the medieval burgh of Perth, where we recorded a wide range of post-medieval structures before excavating the remains of a parliament house used for the Scottish parliament of 1606, and also rich medieval remains (including lace and well-preserved environmental material). My original area of research was medieval history and archaeology and I continue to work on medieval palaces and also on the catastrophic Black Death of 1348-50. Work at Perth inspired me to take a longer view and in recent years I have looked at the archaeology and history of a piece of historic royal landscape (Clarendon Park, Wiltshire with Christopher Gerrard), a royal city (Winchester) and latterly at the archaeology and history of Britain. I have worked with a broad range of MPhil and doctoral research students in Winchester and elsewhere.

Expertise

Medieval Buildings Archaeology
The Archaeology and History of Medieval and Post-medieval Towns
The Archaeology and History of Disease

Publications

Key books: authored (include the following)
James, T. B. (1983) Southampton sources: 1086-1900, Southampton, [Southampton] University Press.
James, T. B. & Robinson, A. M. (1988) Clarendon Palace : the history and archaeology of a medieval palace and hunting lodge near Salisbury, Wiltshire, London, Society of Antiquaries of London.
James, T. B. (1990) The palaces of medieval England c.1050-1550 : royalty, nobility, the episcopate and their residences from Edward the Confessor to Henry VIII, London, Seaby.
James, T.B. (1996) This Sceptered Isle (BBC Worldwide)
James, T. B. (1997) English Heritage book of Winchester, London, Batsford. (Second enlarged edition 2007)
James, T.B. (ed.) (1998) The Black Death in Wessex Hatcher review; 5, no.46 Salisbury : Hatcher Review Trust
James, T. B. (1999) The Black Death in Hampshire, Hampshire County Council.
James, T. B. (2003) The Story of England. Stroud: Tempus
James, T.B. and Allen M (2006) The 1871 Census for Winchester (Wessex Historical databases)
James, T.B. & Gerrard, C. M.(2007) Clarendon: Landscape of Kings (Macclesfield: Windgather)

Edited works: (recent) contributions
James, T.B. (2002) 'John of Eltham, History and Story: abusive international discourse in England, France and Scotland' in Fourteenth Century Studies (ed. Chris Given-Wilson, Boydell)

Recent Journal papers: academic
James, T. B. (2006) Migration and the Southampton Melting Pot in the Fifteenth Century Southern History (28)
James, T.B. and Roberts, E. (2000) 'From palace to Pentice: Winchester and late-medieval urban development' Medieval Archaeology (44)
James, T.B. (2001) 'Years of Pestilence: archaeology and the Black Death' British Archaeology (61)

Research Interests

Archaeology and History of Disease
Archaeology and Distory of Towns
Medieval Palaces, with special reference to Clarendon Palace, Wiltshire
The Black Death (1358-50 and successive plagues)

Current Research Projects
Clarendon Palace and landscape project (withProf Christopher Gerrard, University of Durham)
Winchester Project (founder-Director with co-directors Dr Mark Allen, Winchester and Dr Janet Delve, University of Portsmouth)
Southampton archaeology and history (With Dr Andy Russel, Southampton City Council)

Funding Awards and Professional Membership

Hampshire County Council 1988-90
IBM 1988
English Heritage/Clarendon Park Estate (with Christopher Gerrard) 1995-2004
Research leave AHRC (Archaeology Panel) 2004