Megan Kirkpatrick

Thesis Title: Understanding motivation for castle building in Wales

Understanding why so many castles were built in Wales between c. 1066– c.1300 is the central objective of my DPhil. research. There are more known medieval castles sites per square mile in Wales than anywhere else in Europe, but no analysis sufficiently addresses the motivations of castle building in Wales. I will complete a survey of all castles in Wales in relation to various features that may have guided the castle builder, alongside a study of the visual and written sources in circulation during this period.

Research Profile

I am a co-editor and co-author on the book, ‘St Albans Abbey’, published in 2024: https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/Products/9781803277080

I also work for the Commonwealth Heritage Forum on policy and communications, to support the delivery of training in heritage skills on sites across the Commonwealth.  

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.