Freelance Researcher/Writer

Following the appointment of our historian, Dr Judith Everard, to a research post at UEA, Victoria County History Shropshire is looking to appoint a new researcher/writer, preferably one who can handle the whole range of materials from the medieval to the modern.

The focus of the research would be on Shrewsbury, a largely unexplored town with rich archives. Part one of the Shrewsbury VCH history appeared in 2014 and is a narrative history of the town. Part two is arranged on thematic lines and is now well advanced. Whilst we have a number of areas which need accounts writing, the immediate priority is to prepare an account of the Shrewsbury guilds, one of which remains active in the twenty-first century. This will therefore be a piece of work which will cover a very long chronological span.

Ideally the new historian will be resident in or near Shrewsbury or will have easy access to the Shropshire Archives where much of the source material is held. If two or more suitable persons apply, we would consider splitting the post according to chronological or thematic specialisms.

Our practice is to give the researcher a contract for services on a project-by-project basis and pay a fee without the deduction of NI or income tax.  The work will be awarded on an individual contract basis with appropriate financial remuneration based on the lower points of the university research assistant’s scale and negotiated between the researcher and the Shropshire VCH Committee. The fee will be a minimum of £5,000 and may be higher according to an assessment of the work to be done. For researchers not based in or near Shrewsbury, we may be able to offer assistance with travel and other expenses.

The range of our work can be seen on the VCH Shropshire website, vchshropshire.org, where draft text can be found along with annual reports and other materials.

Informal enquiries can be directed to Professor Richard Hoyle, richard@rwhoyle.org.uk. Expressions of interest should also be directed to Professor Hoyle and should include a cv and a covering letter outlining your qualifications, expertise and previous work in the areas of English urban or local history or cognate historical disciplines. They should be received on or before Friday 8 November.

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