Leonie James

Historian, writer and heritage consultant

I am a historian, writer and researcher with a passion for education, archives and heritage.

Who am I?

I am a professionally qualified historian, with a PhD (funded by the AHRC), a Masters (funded by the British Academy) and a postgraduate teaching qualification.  I love history, but am particularly passionate about the early modern period (16th to 18th centuries).  I have extensive experience of teaching and supporting students in the UK university sector. I am currently working for AIM25, an archival charity, on Yerusha. The project unites Jewish collections held in hundreds of archives, libraries and museums across Europe onto a digital platform, giving researchers access to an abundance of material covering most aspects of Jewish history. Through this project, I have become very interested in British attitudes towards Jewish immigrants from the 18th century onwards.

What do I do?

Here are some of my activities, past and present

I have a unique set of skills, having worked in the city, in academia, in student support and in the archives and heritage sector.

I am keen to get involved in any projects which increase public access to archival collections and heritage sites  - digitally and other media - and I am also able to provide educational services to museums. I am particularly interested in heritage and archival projects with a research element to them.  Please contact me if you have a project in mind. You can find out more about some of my work below.

Archives and museums

Working with documents and objects

Not only am I working on the digital Yerusha portal, but I am also currently providing advice on public engagement to the Huguenot Museum in Rochester, Kent.

Writing

Working with words

I am a professional researcher, writer and author of two recent books, which offer important new perspectives on religion, power and politics in seventeenth-century Britain.  I am now exploring shorter genres of writing, including virtual guidebooks, short histories, news items and other online content.

Education and outreach

Working with people

I am an experienced educator, who is very comfortable working with people from all walks of life and of all ages.  One of my particular strengths is coaching and mentoring, having taught and supported hundreds of university students over the years, with positive results. I have also given public lectures and provided workshops for schools.

Get in touch

If you are interested in anything that I have done or could do, please drop me a line using the form on the right.

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