St Andrews School of History

05/06/2026

Savage House, starring Richard E. Grant, Claire Foy and Bel Powley, is out in cinemas today, and Professor Guy Rowlands was a historical consultant for the film.

Set in Yorkshire in 1715 amid a bout of plague and against the backdrop of the Jacobite rebellion, Savage House is a dark tale of social climbing going horribly wrong. Inspired by Hogarth, Addison and Steele’s “The Spectator”, and other 18th-century and modern works, the film observes the final manic weeks of indebted prosperity of Sir Chauncey and Lady Savage as they prepare to receive the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire at their country home. Guy worked closely with the director and writer Peter Glanz to help him craft the script, get into the mindset of the early eighteenth century and work out the period details.

02/06/2026

The Women Historians of St Andrews project has recently published a post on the career of one of our Modern History alumnae, Alex Walmsley.

You can read it here:

Alex Walmsley graduated with a MA Honours degree in Modern History with International Relations in 1993, and then stayed to complete a PhD in Modern History in 1998. She has enjoyed a long career i…

22/05/2026

At this year's 1413 Teaching Awards, our very own Dr Ana Del Campo won the Outstanding Teacher in Arts and Divinity Award, and Dr Valerie Wallace the Inclusive Education Excellence Award for her module 'Law and Society in Scotland and its Empire, 1707-1914'. Many congratulations!

21/05/2026

Many congratulations to our very own Professor Emily Michelson, who has been awarded a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship for 2026-27, to support her research on 'Muslims, Jews and Orthodox in Europe's rupture'.

11/05/2026

Good luck to all of our students who are taking exams over the next two weeks! You’ve got this!

Here is a Scottish History exam, which was set almost sixty years ago in 1967, courtesy of our friends the St Andrews University Library.

Which questions would have you gone for?

11/05/2026

We are delighted to announce that the ILCR will be holding their annual Donald Winch Memorial Lectures from 12-14 May, in which Professor Susan James (Birkbeck) will be exploring Nicolas Poussin as a philosopher. Check out the poster for further details!

20/04/2026

Our events this week!

13/04/2026

We have a whole range of lectures and seminars this week, including our Furgol Lecture, which takes place later today!

13/04/2026

Today’s early modern workshop looks at nature, environment, and historical method, with papers from Orla Keating (University College Cork) and Paige Groot (Queen’s University). All are welcome!

10/04/2026

Our Second Furgol Lecture is this coming Monday (13 April), at 5.15pm in Parliament Hall. The lecture, entitled ‘Finlaggan and the Kingdom of the Isles’ will be delivered by Dr David Caldwell. All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you there!