The Society’s Research Funding supports a large number of historians across a range of activities: from studying for a Masters’ degree and finishing a PhD, to undertaking research and working on a project, such as writing an article.

The following individuals are current holders of RHS Fellowships and Grants in 2024. Each year, the Society awards c.£100,000 in research funding to historians through open competitions. In 2023, the Society is allocating a further £30,000 in one-off programmes, generously assisted by partner organisations and donors.

Full details, and call timetables, for all Royal Historical Society research funding are available here.

 

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1. Centenary and Marshall Research Fellows, 2024-25

Held for 6 months, jointly with the Institute of Historical Research, University of London, the Centenary and Marshall Fellowships enable historians to complete their PhDs and receive research training:

Eve Pennington, is an RHS Centenary Fellow, 2024-25, held jointly with the Institute of Research, University of London.

‘Women, the built environment, and life narratives: reconstructing the relationship between gender and state-led urban development through the new towns in North-West England, c.1961-1989’

Eve is a RHS Centenary Fellow held jointly with the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. Eve is a fourth-year PhD researcher supervised by Charlotte Wildman and Penny Summerfield at the University of Manchester, where she previously completed her BA and MA in History.

Eve’s doctoral thesis interrogates the relationship between gender and state-led urban development in late-twentieth-century Britain, exploring the ways that women’s subjectivities and cultural constructions of femininity were produced in tandem with built environments like housing estates, workplaces, and transport networks. It focuses on three new towns established in north-west England during the 1960s and 1970s (Skelmersdale, Runcorn, and Central Lancashire) and analyses archival material produced by local policymakers and urban planners, as well as original oral history interviews conducted with women who moved to the towns during the late twentieth century.

Eve’s research sits at the intersection between urban history and women’s history, examining the ways that built environments reflected and reinforced gender relations, and reconstructing women’s agency to challenge inequalities through their use of urban space. Her regional approach problematises narratives of deindustrialisation, urban decay, and unemployment, reframing northern England as a site of experimentation, investment, and renewal.

 

Alexandra Plane is an RHS Centenary Fellow, 2024-25, held jointly with the Institute of Historical Research, University of London.

‘Reconstructing the Scottish and English Libraries of King James VI and I’

Alexandra is a librarian and doctoral student co-supervised at Newcastle University and the National Library of Scotland through an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award. She previously completed a BA and MA in Classics at the University of Durham, as well as an MA in Library and Information Studies at UCL.

Her doctoral research seeks to reconstruct the Scottish and English libraries of King James VI and I. Despite King James’s significance for intellectual, political, religious and cultural history, at present very little is known about his libraries. This project employs a combination of traditional scholarship and newer digital approaches to remedy this, making it possible to better understand how Britain’s most scholarly monarch accessed and circulated knowledge and ideas. It sheds new light on James as an author and king who was keenly aware of the power books held not only for learning, but also as gift objects and tools for royal image-building.

 

Rebecca Orr is an RHS Marshall Fellow, 2024-25, held jointly with the Institute of Historical Research, University of London.

‘The Ex-Empire Builders: Migrants of Decolonisation and the Transformation of the Post-War Workplace’

Rebecca is a PhD researcher in History at the European University Institute. She previously studied for a BA in History at the University of Cambridge and an MA in Modern History at the University of Warwick. Before starting her PhD, she worked for two years as a research support assistant for the Global History of Capitalism project at the University of Oxford.

Her thesis, entitled ‘The Ex-Empire Builders: Migrants of Decolonisation and the Transformation of the Post-War Workplace’, looks at how formal decolonisation resulted in the emergence of new types of professional work and workplace in post-war Britain and its former colonies. Highlighting the interconnection between work and migration, her research explores the constitutive role played by former colonial civil servants in three workplaces on the rise: private security, universities and charitable organisations. The thesis relates broader structural changes to the intimate and familial. Drawing upon oral history interviews with the children of colonialists and settlers, the research explores how the economic consequences of formal decolonisation registered at the level of the state, family, and individual.

 

Rebecca Tyson is an RHS Marshall Fellow, 2024-25, held jointly with the Institute of Historical Research, University of London.

‘Sailing to Conquest: Maritime Activity and Identity in Eleventh-Century Normandy’

Rebecca’s doctoral research provides a hitherto largely uncharted maritime context for the Norman invasion of England, by looking back at the earlier eleventh century in Normandy to explore where the maritime knowledge, experience, and ships may have been found for Duke William to draw upon in the early months of 1066. To date, studies of eleventh-century Normandy and the Norman invasion of England have consistently adopted a terrestrial perspective. In contrast, my research centres the understudied place of maritime activity in the century preceding the Norman cross-Channel invasion, offering for the first time a historical perspective recognising that Normandy’s coastline was a frontier as dynamic and significant as its land border.

This novel approach thereby not only provides much needed insight into a fundamental but critically overlooked aspect of the Norman invasion, but also demonstrates that, when Normandy’s earlier eleventh-century history is reconsidered from a non-terrestrial point of view and despite being overlooked as a maritime polity, there is a wide range of evidence that points to an active maritime tradition in Normandy in the century preceding 1066, that has wider implications for fully understanding the management of the resulting cross-Channel Anglo-Norman realm.

 

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2. Early Career Fellowship Grant holders, 2024

Held for up to 6 months, Early Career Fellowship Grants provide support for post-doctoral researchers to work on a defined project, such as writing an article or book proposal:

• Jonathan Tickle – awarded October 2024
• Alice Kinghorn – awarded October 2024
• George Townsend – awarded October 2024
• Megan Yates – awarded October 2024
• Margaret Gray – awarded October 2024

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3. Martin Lynn Scholarship in African History, 2024-25

Awarded annually, the Martin Lynn Scholarship supports research in the history of Africa:

• Nigel Browne-Davies – awarded October 2024

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4. Masters’ Scholarships in History, 2024-25

Awarded annually, Masters’ Scholarships support students studying for a Masters’ degree in History at a UK university. Scholarships are reserved for early career historians from groups underrepresented in academic history:

• Alana Assis, to study for an MPhil in African Studies at the University of Cambridge
• Megan Barber, to study for an MA in History at the University of Winchester
• Nicole Butler, to study for an MA in Social & Cultural History at the University of Leeds
• Peter Eakin, to study for an MA in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Manchester
• Darcy Gill, to study for an MA in History at Queen Mary University of London
• Avin Houro, to study for an MSt in Global and Imperial History at the University of Oxford
• Sophie Mattholie, to study for an MA in Public History at the University of York
• Lucas Radford, to study for an MA in Maritime History at the University of Plymouth

The Society is very grateful to the Past & Present Society and the Scouloudi Foundation for its support of the Masters’ Scholarships programme in 2024-25.

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5. Postgraduate Research Support Grants, 2024

Introduced in Spring 2023, Postgraduate Research Support Grants are available to History students (who are Postgraduate Members of the Royal Historical Society), currently studying for a Masters degree or PhD to undertake historical research.

• Benjamin Gladstone – awarded February 2024
• Phoebe McDonnell – awarded February 2024
• Sarah Mason – awarded February 2024
• Nathan Meades – awarded February 2024
• Kathrina Perry – awarded February 2024
• James Squires – awarded February 2024
• Theodora Broyd – awarded August 2024
• Ellie Grigsby – awarded August 2024
• Ewan Lawry – awarded August 2024
• Chukwuemeka Oko Otu – awarded August 2024

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6. Early Career Research Support Grants, 2024

Introduced in Spring 2023, Early Career Research Support Grants are available to historians within 5 years of submitting their PhD in a historical subject (who are members of the Royal Historical Society) to undertake research. 

• Thomas Burnham – awarded February 2024
• Nicolò Ferrari – awarded February 2024
• Yui Chim Lo – awarded February 2024
• Mariana Zegianini – awarded February 2024
• James Brocklesby – awarded August 2024
• Adam Quibell – awarded August 2024
• Taiwo Bello – awarded August 2024
• Matthew Bayly – awarded August 2024

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7. Open Research Support Grants, 2024

Introduced in Spring 2023, Open Research Support Grants are available to all historians (who are members of the Royal Historical Society) who are not postgraduate students or early career researchers (within 5 years of completing a PhD). Open Research Support Grants provide funds to historians to undertake historical research.

• Thomas Leahy – awarded October 2024
• Angela Byrne – awarded October 2024
• Jasmine Calver – awarded October 2024
• Denis Casey – awarded October 2024

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8. Workshop Grants, 2025

Awarded annually from 2022, Workshop Grants provide support for groups of historians to meet and discuss shared projects in detail. Workshop Grants are open to historian at all career stages.

RHS Workshop Grant holders for 2025:

• Barnabas Balint (Independent scholar) for ‘Tracing the Holocaust: Uses and Challenges of the International Tracing Service Archive’
• William Carruthers (University of Essex) for ‘Heritage Bureaucracy’
• Eghosa Ekhator (University of Derby) for ‘African International Legal History: Inter-disciplinary Perspectives’
• Gabriel Lawson (King’s College London) for ‘Lived Experience Advisors in Historical Research’
• Anna McEwan (University of Potsdam & University of Glasgow) and Eliska Bujokora (University of Potsdam and New Brunswick) for ‘Behind the Pages: Lives of Early Career Historians – Resource Sharing and Podcast Production Workshop’
• Fearghus Roulston (University of Strathclyde) and Lucy Newby (Manchester Metropolitan) for ‘Troubles in Ireland and Britain (c.1969-1998)’

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9. Funded Book Workshop Grants, 2024-25

First awarded in 2023, Funded Book Workshop Grants provide support for authors currently writing a second or third monograph to hold a day workshop with six invited readers to discuss a draft manuscript

Funded Book Workshop Grant holders for 2024-25:

• Jodi Burkett (University of Portsmouth) for her project: International Students in Post-Imperial Britain: Experiences of Activism, Community, and Racialisation, c.1960-1990′
• Selena Daly (University College London) for her project: ‘The World is Our Homeland: A Global History of Italian Emigration’

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10. Jinty Nelson Teaching Fellowships, 2024-25

First awarded in 2023, Jinty Nelson Teaching Fellowships provide support for historians to trial new approaches in teaching History in UK Higher Education, or to undertake surveys of current aspects of History teaching. The Fellowships are named for the Dame Jinty Nelson (1942-2024), President of the Society, 2000-04.

Fellowship holders in the academic year 2024-25:

• Katie Carpenter (University of Leeds) for ‘Brick By Brick: A History Co-Creation Project’
• David Clayton (York) for ‘Piloting the Responsible and Effective Use of AI in Undergraduate History Teaching’
• Matthew Hefferan (Nottingham) for ‘Using formative assessment activities to support undergraduate transition into history degrees’
• Linsey Hunter (Highlands & Islands) for a ‘Short pilot study to explore best teaching practice of student-led co-design of undergraduate history modules at the University of the Highlands and Islands’
• Sundeep Lidher (King’s College London) for ‘Archives against the Grain’
• Lydia Plath (Warwick) for her project ‘Enabling students to feel “Emboldened and Enthralled”: Co-creating learning resources for digital databases’
• Lowri Rees (Bangor) for ‘Innovative Approaches in Teaching Welsh History’
• Elaine Sisson (Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dublin) for ‘Archives and Public Engagement’

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11. David Berry Fellowship in the History of Scotland the Scottish People, 2024

First awarded in May 2024, the David Berry Fellowship provides support for historians to undertake research in the history of Scotland and the Scottish people.

Fellowship holders in 2024:

• Fiona Jackson (University of Bristol) to support her PhD research on ‘Musical exchange within British-Soviet diplomatic relations, and the key role of the Baltic Republics and Georgia’.
• Mhairi Winfield (University of St Andrews) to support her PhD research on ‘Scottish Libraries before Carnegie: An Evaluation of Scottish Library Culture (1450-1883)’

 

The Royal Historical Society (RHS) has launched (7 May 2020) an emergency funding scheme in the specific context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This global crisis confronts us all with a series of unprecedented challenges. For History ECRs, these may include any or all of acute financial hardship, mandatory physical relocation, family and community disruptions, new demands on carers, mental and/or physical health concerns and loss of access to research support and resources.

The Society’s ECR Hardship Grants are intended to help mitigate these damaging circumstances. We recognise that the resources we are able to offer are very modest given the scale of the current crisis and that it is highly likely that demand will outstrip supply. We encourage PhD students confronting these challenges to apply, where possible, to their institution’s hardship funding scheme prior to any application to the RHS 2020 Hardship Scheme.

This scheme is not designed to provide a ‘top-up’ grant for funded students or recent postdoctoral researchers in stable employment: it is an emergency, short-term intervention to offer some material assistance in the COVID-19 context, rather than to fund a specific research output or publication.

Please note that our usual grant schemes are still running, and we encourage innovative applications to support research and the costs associated with virtual events at this time.

How do I apply?

Please ensure that you have read all of the information below.

To make an application please complete the online application form. Please note that you can access the Hardship Grant application form through the Research/Conference Grants program within the RHS applications portal.

The next (2nd) deadline is Monday 29 June 2020.

 

Eligibility

For the purposes of this emergency funding scheme (as is the case with our standard Conference Travel scheme) applicants will be considered eligible who are:

• registered for a PhD/DPhil or an MPhil in a historical subject at a UK institution. Registration may be full-time or part-time.
• within two years (at the time of the application) of receiving their doctorate from a UK institution, and who are not yet in full-time employment. Please note the two years does not include any periods of maternity or paternity leave. Please detail this in the ‘any other information’ section of your application form.

Purpose of the Scheme

The main purpose of these awards is to support ECR historians whose finances (and thus well-being) have suffered significant detriment due to the impact of COVID-19.  Specifically the grants are intended to support research-active History postgraduates and ECRS:

• who were actively undertaking historical research in the UK prior to the government restrictions imposed in March 2020 and who are now suffering financial hardship as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic;
• who are NEITHER in receipt of full-time funding for their doctorate NOR in full-time employment;
• whose contracts at universities or heritage organisations have been significantly reduced or terminated prematurely in response to COVID-19;
• whose fixed-term fellowships (for example, to a research library) have been cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis;
• who would normally expect to work part-time AND/OR on a zero-hours contract.
• who normally work to support their studies and need to leave external employment to undertake caring responsibilities due to COVID-19;
• who need to leave external employment for health reasons (including pregnancy or disability);
• who need temporarily to relocate their place of residence due to COVID-19;
• who are awaiting viva and unable to find employment.

Within both broad categories of eligible applicants (doctoral and postdoctoral), the lists of eligible precipitating factors outlined above are intended to be illustrative rather than fully comprehensive.

The grants are intended to help support ECR historians’ wellbeing and thus to enhance their ability to undertake future historical research.  The awards are intended to support History researchers (including research-active historians who teach in universities or work in the heritage sector), rather than the production of specific pieces of historical research, in a time of global crisis.

Who is not eligible?

Due to the limits of our available funding and our modest staff numbers, we regret that we are not able to open these awards to all History ECRs.  Specifically this scheme is not able to support:

• PhD students in receipt of full funding;
• applicants in full-time ongoing paid employment or who have been furloughed under the government scheme;
• PhD students who have suspended their studies for reasons other than directly related to COVID-19;
• PhD students who are registered at universities outside the UK;
• Recent recipients of a UK History PhD who were not normally resident and employed in the UK as of March 2020;
• ECRs who are in receipt of or due a redundancy payment from their employer;

What are the criteria for selection?

Our selection criteria are intended to be broad and flexible, affording the grant awarding panel appropriate leeway to respond to and accommodate novel circumstances and needs in the rapidly changing context of Covid-19.

Please note that:

• Only fully completed applications can be considered;
• Applicants must meet all of the relevant eligibility requirements for their status (either PhD student or recent recipient of the PhD) to be considered for a hardship grant;
• Unfunded PhD students may be given priority over part-funded PhD students;
• Post-doctoral applicants on zero-hour contracts may be given priority over applicants on fixed-term contracts;
• To the extent that the selection committee can identify the cases of the greatest financial need, these applications will be given priority.

How (and how many) grants will be allocated?

Individual grants of up to £500 will be awarded by a combination of 1) assessment of eligibility and need, and 2) a lottery system.

Specifically:

• In the first instance, the RHS aims to fund at least 12 hardship grants of up to £500 each, in each of 2 application cycles.
• If demonstrated need significantly exceeds this sum, the Society shall seek to increase the number of awards available in round 2 by fund-raising or other means and/or to add a 3rd round of hardship funding;
• Each application will be assessed to confirm that the applicant meets all eligibility criteria;
• All eligible applications will then be assessed for their degree of demonstrated financial need;
• If the number of eligible applications demonstrating substantial need exceeds the supply of RHS hardship grants, applications demonstrating the highest need will be allocated by a lottery system. Allocation of awards by lottery is an innovative development in international research funding.  In the current context, the lottery’s benefits as a selection tool include not only its tendency to reduce the scope for conscious or unconscious bias but also its speed of operation.
• Applications entered into the first lottery that are not selected for funding will be automatically resubmitted to the 2nd lottery unless the applicant directs otherwise.
• Applicants that are not selected are welcome to re-apply to the next round with additional information, particularly if circumstances change. Applicants should note that this is a re-application in such cases.

When will applicants be notified?

All applicants will be notified of the result of their application within a month of the deadline.

Questions and Answers

• Do I need to be an ECR Member of the RHS to apply?
  • No. Although the Society welcomes applications to its ECR Membership, its funding schemes apply equally to eligible ECRs regardless of their RHS membership status;
• If I receive an RHS Hardship grant, will my eligibility to apply in future for standard RHS funding (for research trips or conferences) be affected?
  • No. Receipt of a hardship award will not be considered if you subsequently apply for a standard RHS award and thus will not be ‘counted’ against your total eligibility (currently twice as a PhD student and once as a postdoctoral ECR) for our standard funding schemes.  This is an exceptional discretionary award to support you at a critical time and does not affect your broader eligibility to apply to the RHS to support your research.
• Do I need to be a UK citizen to receive a RHS Hardship grant?
  • Non-UK nationals are eligible to receive awards as long as they meet the eligibility criteria detailed above.
• Are part-time students eligible for support?
  • Yes, part-time students are eligible for this programme.
• How will my award be paid?
  • Awards will be paid into a UK bank account.
• I am registered for a PhD at a UK university but am an international student and have travelled home because of COVID-19. Am I still eligible to apply?
  • If you remain registered at a UK university for the History PhD/DPhil you remain eligible for hardship funding (which will be paid to your UK bank account).
• Why is the RHS asking applicants to provide information on their employer and disrupted employment?
  • The Society recognises that if the COVID-19 crisis lasts for several months and/or resurfaces we may need to make longer-term adjustments to our funding for ECRs.  Information on the types of employment most disrupted to the detriment of ECRs will allow us to make appropriate accommodations in our own funding and to advocate for good practice with employers. All personal information will only be held by the RHS for the length of time needed to administer and assess the outcomes of this scheme. No personal information will be shared with employers.
• Do I need to submit receipts to document my expenditure from the Hardship Grant?
  • We understand that in this crisis many different types of expenditure—including, but not only, groceries, medications, accommodation, equipment, relocation costs and costs entailed by caring responsibilities—may justifiably be accrued by applicants and we trust them to expend their grants to the best effect to maintain their well-being during this crisis.
• Do I need to progress or to complete a specific piece of research with the use of any Hardship Grant
  • No. The hardship grants are designed to support you as a History researcher and a person, not to fund the production of specific historical outputs. We recognise that many History researchers may be unable to undertake research at this time.
• Do I need to submit a report to the RHS detailing my use of RHS Hardship grant funds?
  • No. Unlike our standard scheme, no formal report is required after the award has been used.  We welcome contributions to our blog, Historical Transactions, but understand that the current COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath may limit and/or preclude many applicants’ capacity to undertake such writing.
• Do I need to acknowledge RHS Hardship grant support in my PhD dissertation or publications?
  • Not unless you want to. This is an exceptional scheme for exceptional circumstances, and unlike our standard awards the RHS has no expectation that this support will be formally acknowledged by recipients in their scholarly work.

Contact us

All enquiries should be sent to Imogen Evans, RHS Administrative Secretary at adminsecretary@royalhistsoc.org.

 

 

The Society provides the following four funding programmes for historians studying for a Masters degree or PhD in History at a UK university. Each programme runs annually. Follow the links for further details, including timetables for applications.

Postgraduate historians are also eligible to apply for the Society’s annual Workshop Grants and Jinty Nelson Teaching Grants.

Please note: to apply for a PGR Research Support Grant or the Martin Lynn Scholarship you must be a Postgraduate Member of the Society. If wish to join the Society, please see the Postgraduate Membership section of the Join Us page.

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1. Masters’ Scholarships

Launched in 2022, Masters’ Scholarships support recent graduates, from groups underrepresented in academic History, in studying for an MA degree in History at a UK university. Open to all prospective MA students in History who meet the programme’s application criteria.

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2. PhD Fellowships 

Our annual PhD Fellowships provide support for historians who are completing a PhD in History. Recipients hold the fellowships jointly with the Institute of Historical Research (IHR), University of London. Open to all PhD students in the third year of a History PhD at a UK university.

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3. Postgraduate Research Support Grants

Provide funding to enable students to undertake historical research. Activities covered by Postgraduate Research Support Grants include: visiting an archive or historic site, or conducting interviews. Open to Postgraduate Members of the Royal Historical Society.

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4. Martin Lynn Scholarship in African History

Awarded annually, the Martin Lynn Scholarship supports research in any field of African history. Open to Postgraduate Members of the Royal Historical Society.

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All enquiries about Research Funding should be sent to the Society’s Membership and Grants Officer at: membership@royalhistsoc.org.

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HEADER IMAGE: The Ladies Bill of Fare, or, a Copious Collection of Beaux, 1795, plate, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, public domain.

 

The RHS Early Career Article Prize is awarded for an essay or article based on original historical research, by a doctoral candidate or an early career historian within three years of being awarded a doctorate, published in a journal or an edited collection of essays.

Two prizes of £250 each are awarded annually.

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2025 Winners

On 2 July 2025, the Society announced the following two winners of this year’s Early Career Article Prize:

• William Jones, “You are going to be my Bettman”: Exploitative Sexual Relationships and the Lives of the Pipels in Nazi Concentration Camps’, published in The Journal of Holocaust Research (2024)
• Michaela Kalcher, ‘The Self in the Shadow of the Guillotine: Revolution, Terror and Trauma in a Parisian Diary‘, published in History Workshop Journal (2024)

Our congratulations to William and Michaela, and to the six other authors shortlisted in 2025. For more on the winning titles, please see below.

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Eligibility for the RHS Early Career Article Prize, 2026

To be eligible for consideration for the prize:

• applicants must be doctoral students in a historical subject at a UK or Irish institution, or be within three years of having a submitted a corrected thesis in a historical subject in a UK / Irish institution at the time of the closing date for entries.
• the article or essay must have been published in a journal or edited collection during the calendar year 2025 for the 2026 prize round. Advanced access publisher versions are also eligible, but an item cannot be entered more than once in subsequent years.
• an electronic copy of the publisher’s version the article or essay will need to be uploaded to the entry form.

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Submitting your article for the prize, 2026

For 2026, entries for the RHS Early Career Article Prize remain via self-nomination by the author. The process for submission is as follows:

• eligible authors whose article / book chapter qualifies for the 2025 prize should submit an application via the RHS applications platform (open from 1 September 2024 to 31 December 2025). At this stage, applicants will be asked to provide the publisher’s version of the article as a pdf. The call for nomination of books will open on 1 September 2025 and close on 31 December 2025.
• all submissions will then be reviewed by the judging panel to create a long-list from February 2026.
• judging then takes place leading to the creation of a Shortlist of six articles, from which two final winners of the RHS Early Career Article Prize will be chosen. The award of the next round of article prizes is expected to occur in July 2026.

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RHS Early Career Article Prize Winners, 2025

Congratulations to William Ross Jones and Michaela Kalcher who are the co-winners of the 2025 prize.

• William is the author of “You are going to be my Bettman”: Exploitative Sexual Relationships and the Lives of the Pipels in Nazi Concentration Camps’, published in The Journal of Holocaust Research (2024)
• Michaela is the author of ‘The Self in the Shadow of the Guillotine: Revolution, Terror and Trauma in a Parisian Diary‘, published in History Workshop Journal (2024)

Judges’ citation for William Ross Jones’s article:

William Jones’ work on everyday life in the concentration camps concerns the issue of sexual violence and consent (or the lack thereof) between adult male prisoners and boys. The article uses survivor narratives to investigate a complex history of trauma and highlights power structures within the prisoner population itself. Despite the extensive historiography of the Holocaust, Jones has found something new and important to say.

The judges were impressed by Jones’ ability to create a highly nuanced history of daily life in the concentration camps. This is a groundbreaking and sensitive study of sexual violence against boys during the Holocaust. It balances theoretical nuance with survivor testimony, offering a new conceptual framework (“exploitative sexual relationships”) that is both meaningful and analytically sharp.

Dr Helen Paul, chair, Early Career Article Prize, 2025

Judges’ citation for Michaela Kalcher’s article:

Michaela Kalcher’s article considers how trauma shaped an individual’s recollection of the bloody events of the French Revolution. Kalcher contributes to the emerging literature of the history of the self and the emotions. She focuses on one primary source, the diary of a little-known man who was a bystander to great events. By reading this apparently unpromising material against the grain, Kalcher was able to show how the diarist’s lack of obvious emotion was itself a product of trauma.

The judges felt that Kalcher brought an exciting and novel approach to a previously under-utilised source. The article is a beautifully written, psychologically rich analysis of trauma, identity, and diary writing during the French Revolution. It combines microhistory with theoretical depth and offers a compelling model for reading emotion and selfhood in historical texts. The panel felt that Kalcher’s article would become a key part of the historiography of the French Revolution as it was so thought provoking and cleverly constructed.

Dr Helen Paul, chair, Early Career Article Prize, 2025

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• A full listing of previous winners of the Royal Historical Society’s article prizes, previously known as the Alexander Prize (1898-2025) is available here.

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General enquiries about Society’s Prizes should be sent to: administration@royalhistsoc.org.

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IMAGE: ‘Specimens of Penmanship after Jan van de Velde and other Calligraphy Books, Conrad Baumann’, c. 1620, Metropolitan Museum of Art Collections, public domain

 

The Society’s Library comprises more than 1000 books of specialist historical interest, dating from the sixteenth century to the 2020s. With two reading rooms, the Library is located within the main library of University College London, next to the RHS Office and Council Chamber.

 

 

RHS Fellows and Members are welcome to visit the Society’s Library, and also the main UCL collection. Access and use of UCL’s wider History collections is one benefit of joining the Fellowship.

About the Library collection

The RHS Library holds more than 1000 secondary works of historical scholarship on open shelves. The collection comprises antiquarian titles (often gifted by prominent former members of the Society, such as the library of George W. Prothero), the publications of UK record and local history societies, and reference works.

Also available are monographs published by the RHS (including the ‘Studies in History’ and ‘New Historical Perspectives’ series); and complete sets of the Society’s journal, Transactions (1872-2021) and the Camden Series of primary sources (1838-2021).

Listings of these items is available here (open as pdfs):

• Antiquarian (1500-1599)
• Antiquarian (1600-1699)
• Antiquarian (1700-1799)
• Antiquarian (1800-1899)
• Modern (1900-1999)
• Modern (2000-)
• George W. Prothero Library Collection (for details of Prothero’s papers held in the RHS Archive, see here)
• Dictionaries / Encyclopaedias / Reference Works
• Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, and other publications

• For details of the complete series of the Society’s journal, see the Transactions page of the RHS website.
• For details of the complete series of the Society’s Camden Series, see the Camden page of the RHS website.

 

 

Information services and contacts

The Library also maintains a listing of UK and Irish historical and record societies providing contacts for research; a number of publications for these societies are available in the RHS collection and the UCL History Library.