PhD student research interests
Danielle Nunn-Weinberg
Working title for PhD thesis
Clothing and Textile References in Sixteenth-Century Lancashire, Cheshire, and Derbyshire Wills and Inventories.
Supervisor: Dr Gale Owen-Crocker.
Research interests
I am currently examining extant sixteenth-century wills and inventories from Cheshire, and plan to study comparable documents from Lancashire and Derbyshire at a later date. I am transcribing the various documents and entering the information into a database in order to analyze the information gleaned, such as: textile and garment types, colour, fabric, and embellishment of the items. To my knowledge, no study has every been done of sixteenth-century English clothing and textiles used outside of the nobility and the Royal Courts. The primary goal of this study is to identify textile and clothing items, and through the analysis of testamentary evidence, gain intimate knowledge concerning what was of value to people during this time period. Through this I hope to be able to establish a direct correlation between the written evidence and extant textile artifacts so that traditional inconsistencies of clothing and textile vocabulary for this time period can be resolved. The wills and inventories provide a rare and useful glimpse into the life of sixteenth-century English men and women from all levels of society.
Other interests
I have a wide range of other interests. I am a lampworker, which means that I create glass beads working over an open flame. I am also a graduated gemmologist and have had some training in jewellery creation and design. I also enjoy creating Medieval-style Illuminations working from the facsimiles of Books of Hours that I collect.
You can reach me at dannw@eudoramail.com.