From Servants to Staff: the Whole Community in the Chatsworth Household 1700-2000
We are delighted to announce three AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Awards co-supervised by Chatsworth House and the University of Sheffield
Application deadline: 12pm, Thursday 23 April 2015
Interviews: interviews will take place on 11 May 2015
Project Description
The aim of this project is to use the extensive archival materials in the Devonshire Collection in order to gain an understanding of the wider community who have lived and worked at Chatsworth over the past three centuries, brought together by relationships of work and service. It will employ an interdisciplinary linguistic-historical approach to explore the changing relationship between masters and servants between 1700 and 2000.
Key research questions to be addressed include:
- how has the language used about servants and estate workers in these archives changed across this time?
- how have the working conditions of those employed in and around the house changed?
- how has Chatsworth functioned as a community at different times?
- how can Chatsworth represent the stories of the people who have worked for the Cavendish family in an ethical and engaging manner?
The project comprises three interconnected PhD projects, each focusing on a different century. Each will be a coherent project in its own right, but taken together the three projects will chart a compelling narrative across three centuries of social and economic change.
Studentship Descriptions
For more information on the studentships available, award details and eligibility please visit: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/history/phd/chatsworth