In this post, Brian Mac Cuarta introduces his new book, 'Francis Slingsby (1611–1642) and the Jesuits', the latest volume in the Society's Camden series of scholarly primary editions. This new Camden volume highlights Jesuit involvement in conversion to Catholicism in the Caroline era. It draws on the experience of one young man, Francis Slinsgby, in Rome and Ireland. Themes include elite women as promotors of Catholic life in Wentworth’s Ireland; Jesuit efforts to liberate their protégé, imprisoned in Dublin; and travels in France with a visit to Loudun, scene of exorcisms. First-hand testimonies illuminate the experience of students from the Stuart kingdoms in Catholic educational institutions in mid-seventeenth century Rome. To mark publication, the Introduction of Francis Slingsby (1611–1642) and the Jesuits is now available, free to read, via Cambridge University Press, until 1 November 2026.

How did early modern people remember and define rights of way in and beyond their communities? Dr Zoë Jackson reflects on a question which guides her postdoctoral research on how and why people in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century England and Scotland remembered, contested, and communicated their knowledge and use of these rights of way. Her study draws on legal and family papers, and considers how social status and local history influenced debates over rights to access. In this post, Zoë describes how the recent award of an RHS David Berry Fellowship in the History of Scotland and the Scottish People, contributed to her research.

The country house has been a major focus of research for academics and heritage professionals alike in recent years. But what about the houses that do not quite fit under the traditional country house umbrella, such as villas, townhouses, seaside resorts, hunting lodges, royal residences, pleasure palaces? In this post, Alyssa Myers introduces the 'Beyond the Country House' project, and the initial project workshop supported by an RHS Workshop Grant which took place earlier this year at English Heritage’s Marble Hill in Twickenham.