Could not support this initiative more - the archives of Warner and her partner Valentine Ackland are immensely valuable for the study of queer rural histories. Not to be missed is the story of how Warner ended up in Dorset because of a visitation from her great-aunt's ghost!

Sylvia Townsend Warner Fundraising Appeal | Dorset Archives Trust

Dorset Archives Trust isleading a fundraising appeal to bring the Archive of writer and LGBTQ+ pioneerSylvia Townsend Warner(1893-1978) into the public domain through the creation of a full catalogue....

dorsetarchivestrust.org

As far as I know, farm archives have never really been used to track queer histories before. Given they mostly record the financial ongoings on a given farm, you can understand why. However, my year of research at The MERL has proved their potential. Find out more in this blog:

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)@themerl.bsky.social · 5mo ago

If you're researching queer history in England, farm records might be one of the last places you'd check. Yet for #LGBTQHistoryMonth, @timjerrome.bsky.social shares how he's tracing queer histories within our farm archives, and gives tips for future research. merl.reading.ac.uk/news-and-vie...

Amazing blog post from @themerl.bsky.social on Enid Barraud, who identified as homosexual in the 1930s and whose agricultural skills became a core part of her identity. Enid was - to put it in academic terms - a total legend.

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)@themerl.bsky.social · 6mo ago

A common fictional narrative shows people with nonconforming identities finding self-acceptance in towns and cities. This #LGBTQHistoryMonth, archivist Lottie Wood explores how author E. M. Barraud found the opposite, through rural work and the Women’s Land Army. merl.reading.ac.uk/news-and-vie...

The British Newspaper Archive is such a brilliant resource for finding queer histories, even if the word recognition software sometimes leads you down the wrong path...

Are you a PhD student & interested in using museum collections in your teaching or research? We're running a *free* doctoral training programme for students at any institution to learn about working with collections. Find out more: collections.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/

Genuine pleasure to be an absolute unit once more! Curious to hear listeners’ opinions on the speculatory nature of this research, and how that might clash with archival neutrality.

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)@themerl.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Absolute Units is back! We continue our conversation with @timjerrome.bsky.social (University of Brighton; formerly, The MERL) about his research into queer rural life. Discover what Tim has found in our archives to date & the research challenges he's faced. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

Thank you to the eternally wonderful Joe and Ollie for guiding me through my first time on a podcast - if intense ramblings about finding queer snippets in rural archives is your thing, give it a listen! @themerl.bsky.social

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)@themerl.bsky.social · 10mo ago

🐏 New Absolute Units 🐏 Same-sex relationships have always been part of rural England, but they've been underrepresented in our collections. In the first of 2 episodes, @timjerrome.bsky.social shares his work tracing queer rural lives in The MERL archives. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

Earlier this year, I visited Tate Britain to explore the archive of the artists Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines, a same-sex couple who lived in rural Suffolk from the 1930s onwards. In Lett's diaries I found this entry which describes two friends of theirs, Oswald and Jack, as "boyfriends".

I'm giving a talk on queer histories of rural England in July! If you're in the Berwick area and want to find out more about how I'm using archives to explore this under-researched topic, please do sign up and/or share with anyone else who may be interested www.maltingsberwick.co.uk/whats-on/ced...

Cedric, Lett and queer histories of the English countryside with Tim Jerrome. – The Maltings

maltingsberwick.co.uk

Four years ago today, I somehow got away with uploading this utter nonsense to the @themerl.bsky.social website:

The Tractor Whisperers (an April Fool’s) - The Museum of English Rural Life

Its members were known as the tractor whisperers, achieving feats of tractor mastery well beyond the human ken. But what was the Order of Credulum?

merl.reading.ac.uk

Can highly recommend this as something to listen to whilst sat in a reading room, going through countless ledgers on mine administration, seeing the word "boring" on every page

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)@themerl.bsky.social · last yr.

Come for the big animals. Stay for the history of rural England and its people. The first full episode of Absolute Units, the official MERL podcast, is here!!! merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

I wouldn't normally post about this sort of thing, but just had to say that the romance scene in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 between Henry and Hans is one of the sweetest things I have ever seen in a video game. Beautifully acted as well. Will no doubt stay with me for a long time.

My first time being threatened by the author of a 19th century farm diary... I hope Aylesbury Gaol has good Wifi! (Found at @themerl.bsky.social under archive reference FR BER 40/1/1)

If you have any interest in queer histories of the English countryside, be sure to check out the first publication of my PhD - an article for the amazing folks over at The MERL:

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)@themerl.bsky.social · last yr.

How can we trace same-sex relationships in rural archives, when love letters were heavily euphemistic or burned after reading? For LGBTQ+ History Month, Tim Jerrome shares his research into queer rural relationships: from his first find, to the challenges faced. merl.reading.ac.uk/blog/2025/02...

The first published finding of my PhD, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with queer history

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)@themerl.bsky.social · 2y ago

it's another totally normal day in the countryside, when this Elden Ring boss shows up

I'm starting to think that 19th century farm diarists didn't have queer research in mind when they were writing... why is it always "a heron flew over the corn field today" and never "the new farmhand has the dreamiest eyes" Haven't found a single name with hearts around it either!

The new Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund is now open for applications 🥳 We're supporting projects using museum collections to improve inclusion and equitable working with community partners, and the new name better represents our dual focus on collections and inclusion.

Things that farmer George Cannell wrote about in his 1882 diary: Carting muck Carting mould Carting manure Things that farmer George Cannell did not write about in his 1882 diary: Anything gay

Anyone have advice on how to stay sane while ploughing through page after page of squirrelly 19th century handwriting?

Looking for radical histories on Bluesky? We've made a Starter Pack of people & organisations who stretch our idea of what history is, who it is made by & what it is for. Please share and let us know if you'd like to be added. 🗃️ & ✊🗃️ go.bsky.app/Bb57VmV

Radical Histories

Join the conversation

go.bsky.app

Over the past year we've had a great team of researchers investigating our Victorian records for traces of Buckinghamshire's LGBTQ+ past, and now we're looking to create some art to bring their stories to life! Interested in volunteering? Apply at the link below. forms.gle/YgsRqKarCLMe...

@themerl.bsky.social Any plans for a Christmas blog this year? I keep finding straw goats around my flat and I hold you accountable