Skip to main content

IMC 2026: Sessions

Session 1002: Mercian Studies, I: Mercian Women and Their Monasteries

Wednesday 8 July 2026, 09:00-10:30

Sponsor:Mercian Network
Organisers:Christine Rauer, School of English, University of St Andrews
Joanna Story, School of History, Politics & International Relations, University of Leicester
Moderator/Chair:Joanna Story, School of History, Politics & International Relations, University of Leicester
Paper 1002-aSt Mildrith and the Inclusion of Mercian Royalty in the Kentish Royal Legend Genealogy
(Language: English)
Chris Eddington, St Andrews Institute of Mediaeval Studies, University of St Andrews
Index terms: Genealogy and Prosopography, Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Old English, Politics and Diplomacy
Paper 1002-bWhat's Land Got to Do with It?: Mercian Elite Women Religious as Local Agents for the 7th-Century Mercian Kingdom
(Language: English)
Brittany J. Orton, Department of History, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Index terms: Charters and Diplomatics, Historiography - Medieval, Monasticism, Women's Studies
Paper 1002-cThe Church of Much Wenlock and the Early Mercian Frontier
(Language: English)
Richard Purkiss, Independent Scholar
Index terms: Charters and Diplomatics, Hagiography, Historiography - Medieval, Monasticism
Abstract

These three papers will take a closer look at Mercian monasteries and saints’ cults, with a focus on their connections to members of the Mercian aristocracy and royal family. The session will cover a wide geographical range within the kingdom of Mercia, referring to diverse types of evidence including genealogies, charters and chronicles.