New funding for ‘Curious Travellers’ project

The University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies is delighted to announce the start of a new AHRC-funded research project, beginning this month (October 2022). 

‘Barmouth’  by Moses Griffith (ca 1778) National Library of Wales.

The exciting collaborative research project with Glasgow University and the Natural History Museum will produce the first ever scholarly editions of Thomas Pennant’s Tours of Wales and Scotland. 

‘Curious Travellers 2: Digital Editions of Thomas Pennant’s Tours of Wales and Scotland’ is an innovative project combining traditional textual editing with new approaches in the digital humanities. These will be the first ever scholarly editions of the influential Welsh and Scottish tours of the Flintshire-based naturalist and antiquarian Thomas Pennant of Downing (1726-98), and they will be freely available to all users.

Partnerships with the national libraries of Wales and Scotland, the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Commission for Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, and Historic Environment Scotland will allow the project to link Pennant’s writings to a wealth of contemporary images and information.

Professor Mary-Ann Constantine, who is leading the project, said: ‘Pennant’s Tours shaped perceptions of Wales and Scotland in ways that remain with us today. We’re especially delighted to be teaming up again with Glasgow colleagues, and to be working with the Natural History Museum to explore how Pennant’s work as a naturalist shaped his travels. This is a fantastic opportunity to bring these rich, multi-layered texts to life.’

The Curious Travellers team will also be working with schools and communities in Flintshire and the Isle of Skye, and will co-host exhibitions in Greenfield Valley Heritage Park, and the Gilbert White House in Selbourne.

To learn more visit the Curious Travellers website.

Note to Editor

Contact: Dr Angharad Elias (Admin Officer) a.elias@wales.ac.uk

1. The Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS) was established by the University of Wales in 1985 as a dedicated research centre conducting team-based projects on the languages, literatures, culture and history of Wales and the other Celtic countries. It is located in Aberystwyth, adjacent to the National Library of Wales, which is an internationally-renowned copyright library with excellent research facilities.

2. CAWCS offers unique opportunities for postgraduate students to work alongside specialists in a dynamic and supportive environment. We welcome enquiries about MPhil/PhD topics in any of our research areas. For more information about research opportunities, or for an informal chat about possible topics, contact our Head of Graduate Studies, Dr Elizabeth Edwards: e.edwards@wales.ac.uk

3. CAWCS is the home of the Dictionary of the Welsh Language: https://www.welsh-dictionary.ac.uk/

Further Information

For more information please contact Arwel Lloyd, Principal PR and Communications Officer, on 01267 676663 / arwel.lloyd@uwtsd.ac.uk