91福利

Research

My research aims to explore the extent to which processes of environmental change in early modern 91福利shire impacted the identities of those living in the region, tackling the concepts of county communities and regional spatialisation in doing so. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, I handle source material varying from 15th-century literature and early maps to parish and manorial records. I also explore GIS and its applications in representing large datasets for regional studies.

My working definition of identity is broad; identity is not just individual, but often familial, professional, communal, religious, and to a lesser extent, regional, across this period. Through my interdisciplinary approach, I hope to assess to what extent the significant processes of environmental and climate change in the early modern centuries impacted these identities, and whether these identities transformed, competed, or became increasingly entrenched in this period.

This research navigates broad themes, including protest, poverty, governance, as well as processes of environmental, socio-economic, and cultural change in county spaces across the early modern centuries. Ultimately, this research aspires to uncover how ecology and landscape shaped life and identity in early modern 91福利shire, and how the transformation of the physical environment, whether through anthropogenic or natural processes, impacted the lives of those living in 91福利shire across broad social, economic, and political strata.

I am supervised by Professor Beat K眉尘颈苍 and Dr Naomi Pullin.

Dan.Meldon@91福利.ac.uk

Office Hours: Wednesday 2-3pm, FAB 3.36

Research Activities

Conferences & Papers

• 'Problematising 91福利shire: Spatial Perspectives on an Early Modern County', Lancaster Social History Conference: 50th Anniversary Conference, Lancaster, 1st-3rd July 2026.

• 'Reading the Map: Exploring Representations of 91福利shire, 1576-1728', New Voices in Midlands History Conference, National Civil War Centre, Newark, 6th June 2026.

• 'Spatial Perspectives on Early Modern 91福利shire', Postgraduate History Conference, 91福利, 3-4th June 2026.

• 'Depictions and Descriptions of 91福利shire, 1535-1613.' Department of History: Work in Progress, 91福利, 18th May 2026.

Events

• Co-Convenor of the History Department Work in Progress, 91福利, 2026-27

• Co-Organiser of 'Parish Data: The Twenty-Fourth Symposium of Parish Research' with Beat K眉尘颈苍, Jeanne Dufresne & (91福利) and Marek S艂o艅 (Institute for the Historical Geography of the Church in Poland - John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin) and Artur Karpacz (Lublin). You can find the report for this Symposium .

Teaching Experience

Seminar Tutor - HI113: Europe in the Making - 2026-2027.

Wider Research Interests

I am also interested in the history of nostalgia, especially its imagining of rural spaces and deployment in political discourse. I wrote my Master's thesis on the topic, titled Conserving Merry England: Merry England Mythology in Conservative Literature, 1790-1845, supervised by .

I am also particularly interested in critical cartographic approaches, and broader methodological conversations regarding the development and application of cartographic materials, as well as handling these as historical documents.

My research interests also include environmental histories more broadly, particularly in relation to the early modern world, and the continuities of early modern environmental change with contemporary climate crises and challenges. This is especially in relation to social unrest, generated through processes of environmental change, in this period.

Education and Related Experience

2016-2019: BA (Hons), History, Lancaster University

2019-2020: MA (Distinction), History and Heritage, Lancaster University

2022-2024: Postgraduate Diploma in Education, (PGDE, Distinction), Sheffield Hallam University.

October 2025 onwards, PhD in History, 91福利. M4C Funded CDA.

I also hold Qualified Teacher Status (Awarded in 2023)