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Hailing from all corners of Wales, and beyond, Daisy, Hannah and Ieuan have only just started their postgraduate research journeys, but already have much to share on their respective research topics, and much more to bring to ISWE’s programme over the coming years. 

Daisy Hughes is no stranger to academic life in north Wales, having completed her BA and MA degrees here at �ᰮ�Թ�.  Daisy’s PhD focuses on early modern women’s history, with a particular focus on the roles and experiences of women in early modern estates and the representation of their lives and stories in contemporary country house heritage interpretation.  As Daisy explains:

“My mission is to dive into estate archives, shedding light on how women shaped the success of country houses in Cheshire and North Wales from 1600-1800. Through research using archival sources such as diaries, account books, and letters, we'll bring these stories back to life and challenge outdated notions about who truly ran the show.”

Daisy’s research will highlight the often-overlooked roles of women in land management, as decision makers and political actors, and thus inspire a more balanced narrative that recognizes women's vital contributions to country house and estate history.

Daisy is also excited to contribute to ISWE’s intellectual profile and social life:

“I love the work that ISWE is doing and find it really fascinating, both as a collection of work and as a community. I’m so excited to have snuck my way in!”

Hannah Jones’s journey to become a postgraduate researcher in Welsh History is perhaps slightly less conventional.  Originally from Carmarthenshire, Hannah has an impressive background in the natural sciences, including several years conducting molecular biology research. However, she never lost her deep passion for history, in particular landscape and local history, and her interest in ‘sense of place’.  For her doctoral project, Hannah is delving into the rural history of Carmarthenshire, conducting research on the landscape and society of Llanarthne parish. Using a ‘deep mapping’ approach, she will survey landscape and land use changes over time, through layering maps and using other archival material to create maps of earlier landscapes, and to see how they have transformed over the years.  In Hannah’s words:

“I hope to shed light on both the Township and Parish as administrative units and the importance of boundaries and their perception by the local community.  Additionally, I want to look at the foundation and growth of the local estates across the parish, the tensions this engendered, and the impact this had on the local population”.

From this Hannah hopes to enhance awareness of the significance and uses of historic boundaries, their effect on the idea of place, and at the same time, through studying the parish of Llanarthne, develop a deeper understanding of Carmarthenshire’s rural history and its interaction with the region’s landed estates.

Our third new doctoral researcher needs no introduction.  Ieuan Wyn Jones has been central to the cultural and political life of Wales for almost forty years.  Having spent 13 years in practice as a solicitor, he was elected as the MP for Ynys Môn in 1987, to the National Assembly for Wales in 1999 and served as leader of Plaid Cymru for over a decade from 2000. In 2007 he was elected as the Deputy First Minister of Wales.  Ieuan’s research project will assess the contribution made by Thomas Edward Ellis, the Liberal MP for Merioneth 1866-99, to the political life of Wales in the late-nineteenth century, a period of radicalism and re-awakening of national consciousness.

With their exciting and diverse range of topics, and bringing new energy, enthusiasm and academic zeal, Ieuan, Hannah and Daisy are set to make significant contributions towards enriched understandings of the histories, cultures and landscapes of Wales – expanding ISWE’s intellectual, historiographical and geographical remit and enriching our community.

The Director of ISWE, Dr Shaun Evans, commented that:

‘‘It’s wonderful to welcome Hannah, Daisy and Ieuan to the Institute for the �ᰮ�Թ� of Welsh Estates.  They each bring a fantastic range of skills, experiences and interests to their projects and I’m really excited about their research.  Ieuan’s project will illuminate the life and career of one of the most influential figures in nineteenth-century Welsh politics, and especially those political questions converging on land and the power of the gentry.  Hannah has been doing some fantastic work on the landscape history of Carmarthenshire and I’m really pleased that her project will take forward our work on ‘Deep Mapping Estate Archives’.  Daisy’s project straddles the spheres of archival research and heritage interpretation, and will make a really important contribution to our wider programme of work on women, land and the country house.  I wish them all the very best with their projects, hope they enjoy studying as part of the ISWE community and look forward to seeing and discussing the results of their researches’.

You can follow the progress of all our doctoral projects at:                 

 /our-research-and-projects. 

Croeso i ISWE, a phob lwc efo’ch ymchwil!