Thesis Title
Understanding motivation for castle building in Wales: an archaeology of behaviour
Research Interests
My DPhil. research focusses on the significance of castle siting in medieval Wales, to demonstrate the affective and dynamic relationship between the built-and-natural environments, political power, and identity. Using geoprocessing tools within various GIS software packages, combined with an analysis of some key literary texts of the period, I am focussing on features of the landscape to evaluate their impact on the form, function, and perception of each castle. This approach aims to cast new light on the behaviours that motivated castle building in Wales in the period c.1066–1300.
Research Profile
Alongside my DPhil. studies I work for the Commonwealth Heritage Forum on policy and communications, to support the delivery of training in heritage skills for practitioners (individuals, corporations, and governments), through active participation in the conservation of heritage sites across the Commonwealth.
I am also working with Professor Martin Biddle and St Albans Cathedral, co-editing a volume on the excavations of the Chapter House at St Albans, to be published in Spring 2023. Alongside this, I am a research volunteer with the Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East (APAAME) programme, analysing aerial imagery to identify and catalogue castle sites in Oman, with Dr Robert Bewley.
These projects complement my DPhil. research and broader interests in heritage conservation and engagement, medieval landscapes, and monumental architecture.
Conference Papers, Workshops, and Awards
Landscapes of Difference: Castle building in North Wales. History, Community, and Identity in the Medieval World, Aberystwyth University, 25 June 2021.
‘A most comprehensive view’: Storymapping a virtual experience of Carreg Cennen Castle. Centre for Visual Arts and Culture (CVAC), Visual Intersections 5, Durham University, 24 June 2021. Promoted on the CVAC website and YouTube Channel, August 2021.
ESRI’s ArcGIS StoryMap Service in the Social Sciences, Workshop co-lead, Social Science Department, University of Oxford, April 2021.
British Archaeological Association, awarded for the production of a digital outreach tool (ESRI StoryMap), completed in collaboration with MonLife Heritage. Promoted by the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities, MonLife Heritage, and Visit Monmouthshire.
Please contact me at megan.kirkpatrick@arch.ox.ac.uk, via my LinkedIn Profile, or Twitter @MAKirkpatrick95.
Also see https://eamena.org/people/megan-kirkpatrick