Kathrina Perry - Local Historian

 In my attempt to blog more I wanted to write about what my plans are for after my PhD....  Well I don't have any.. That's it, all done. Thank you and good night....  Seriously though, I honestly don't know. I'm pretty sure I don't want to be a University lecturer or stay in that type of academic route.  I don't mind doing workshops or seminars but I'm not sure I want to go back down the education route. This is the same reason that I don't want to return to teaching (been there, done that, wore the t-shirt, done the counselling).  However, I do like researching so I would be interested in continuing with that.  I could potentially apply for a Post Doctorate or some kind of fellowship to give me some research funding, although what I want to research I'm not sure.  Do I continue with the local ladies? Do I spread it out and focus on a different part of the county? Do I look at women in a different context? Previously I have considered returning to tr...

Where have you been?? I know, I know. I promised to update this regularly and I haven't.  I'm sorry.  But here's what I've been up to.  Since I last posted in September, my article with Religion Compass has been published.  It has been really good to get an article under my belt at this point of my PhD journey.  The article looks at the relationship between Women in the Northamptonshire Boot and Shoe industry and religious organisations. If you would like to have a read you can follow here .  I am currently working on a book chapter for a collected works following the  University of Northampton Centre of Historical Studies Wellbeing conference from earlier in the year. This is proving to be a bit more of a challenge than I originally thought. Chapters are definitely harder to write than seminar papers. However, it has meant that I have spent a lot of time in the archives at Northampton General Hospital. Fred, Sue and Julia who work/volunteer there are ...

  Sorry it's been so long It has been far too long, over a year in fact, since I last wrote a blog post.  Part of this has been due to lack of time and part of this has been due to lack of inspiration. However, I've decided that I should do an update from where I left off in July 2022!! It seems crazy to think that the last time I wrote anything here was when I'd been to Bishopsgate.  What have I been up to? In September 2022 I was awarded a bursary from the Economic History Society . This funding was so gratefully received and so helpful.  It took the pressure off having to juggle work and study for a year and allowed me to take part in a number of events throughout the past twelve months. As a self funded postgraduate researcher, bursaries such as these are so helpful. Although I receive a loan from Student Finance this money covers my fees with a small amount left over for research. Accessing funds through bursaries allows more freedom for research.   In...

  Last week I had the rare opportunity (especially after the last few years) to go to a course of Forgotten Women. Held at the amazing Bishopsgate Institute, Forgotten Women highlighted the different sources in which you can find women.   Studying women's history can be difficult. Much of the histories about towns, events etc are often written from the male perspective.  My own research into women in the boot and shoe industry in Northampton is evidence of this where much is written about the factories themselves and the products they made. The social and somewhat more personal histories are of the manufacturers and owners, many of whom were heavily involved in local politics. However, very little is written about their wives despite them also having a large role in local campaigns and organisations. Even those who were the mayoress are rarely mentioned, other than a sentence in the local newspapers to say they'd attended a prize giving.  The course, however, in...

 May Update: The Cogs Are Turning Slowly  Well hello friends, comrades, fellow historians/genealogists/random people who I force to read my blog.  I thought I'd do a quick update on the progress I have been making over the past few weeks.  March Progress  I'm afraid to say I still haven't started my political chapter, I do, however, have a plan to write it and hope to start it in the next couple of weeks.  I did start my regular blog posts and you can read about  Lady Margaret Manfield  and  Elizabeth Arnold  on this blog. I also wrote a blog post for History Bites on Catherine Lewis.   I'm hoping to get a few more blog posts written in the next few months including one about women's contributions to hospital fundraising and a book review for the Women's History Network.  April  April saw me being able to get to the archives a bit more as well as doing a short walk around Northampton to literally look for ladies.  I f...

  Elizabeth Arnold was the wife of James William Arnold (known as William Arnold) of A & W Arnold, Northampton. Born in Northampton in 1861 to Alfred Walker, was a boot fitter from Alfred’s Place St Sepulchre’s Northampton , and Elizabeth Harriet Cox, from Thrapston, Northampton, she married William Arnold on 30 th November 1885 at St Michaels Church, Northampton.[1] Elizabeth Arnold, Primitive Methodist Magazine, 1928 We can make assumptions about Mrs Arnold’s demeanour from the personal recollections of her husband, William. It is noted that the couple’s philanthropic activities, especially connected to religious causes, were vast and they gave 10% of their income to worthy causes, a decision made by Elizabeth.[2] Elizabeth was described as encouraging William “in all those admirable works that have characterised [their lives]. Like Dorcas she was full of good works and alms deeds.”[3] Her husband attributed the change of his life of lost faith and battle with abs...