The Nicola Verdon Memorial Fund for Early Career Researchers
The Nicola Verdon Memorial Fund provides financial support to help early career researchers in agricultural and rural history to attend conferences and undertake research (including travel to archives or other research expenses).
Nicola Verdon (1970-2024)
Nicola was a pioneering historian. She made an outstanding contribution to the British Agricultural History Society (BAHS) and to the study of agricultural and rural history. She was President of the BAHS (2022-2024) and previously Secretary and an active member of the Executive Committee. Her research on the British countryside, and particularly female agricultural workers, was internationally recognised for its significance. She wrote two pioneering books, Rural Women Workers in Nineteenth-century England: Gender, Work and Wages (2002) and Working the Land: A History of the Farmworkers in England from 1850 to the Present Day (2017) in addition to numerous journal articles. Her legacy of inspiring publications will continue to shape the field in years to come.
In addition to her academic work, Nicola was passionate about communicating with wider audiences, collaborating with museums, theatres and broadcast media. She worked with the Museum of English Rural Life, appeared on television, including Victorian Farm and Who Do You Think You Are? and was academic consultant for The Exploits of Ethel, a theatre production about Ethel Haythornthwaite, which led to these school resources dedicated to Nicola.
At Sheffield Hallam University, and previously the University of Sussex, Nicola inspired young historians whether as undergraduate students or PhD candidates. She was always supportive of PhD students and early career scholars – whether they remained in academia or not – and was generous with her time, advice and insights. Nicola enjoyed travelling for research and conferences. She was also acutely aware how challenging it is for early career researchers to fund travel and accommodation for such trips.
This initiative is jointly funded by the Society, Ed Bolt (Nicola’s partner, University of Nottingham) and Nicola’s family who wish to perpetuate her memory with a fund to support early career people to attend conferences or undertake research trips.
How the fund works:
The fund is open to early career researchers (normally defined as PhD students or those within 5 years of receiving their PhD) with limited access to funds and whose work explores agricultural or rural history. Preference will be given to those working on the history of women or children in agriculture and rural society or marginalised groups in rural society.
The fund can be used for conference fees or travel costs and accommodation to attend conferences (particularly to support attendance at BAHS events) or to undertake research on agricultural or rural history (research expenses including travel and accommodation, photographic permits, etc).
Up to £1,500 will be offered as part of this fund each year with a maximum of £500 awarded per person.
To apply for funding, please email the secretary (secretary@bahs.org.uk) stating what you need the funding for, the total amount required and a breakdown of costs, and why you should be considered for this memorial fund. Priority will be given to those who have not previously been in receipt of this award.
For research trips, please provide a short explanation of the purposes of the research and the reason for this specific visit; for conferences, please provide a short explanation of the value of the conference to your research.
Applications to the fund should be made at least eight weeks in advance of being required.