Biography: I currently lecture in Dutch at Manchester and Leeds Metropolitan Universities. I came to lecturing in Dutch by a rather circuitous route, but think it's a wonderful langauge with a very rich literary history, which, unfortunately, remains largely undiscovered outside the Low Countries. I studied theology at Durham University and whilst writing my PhD spent time at the VU University Amsterdam, where my childhood love of the language was rekindled. After completing my PhD I taught Dutch at Sunderland University, Centre for Lifelong Learning, before starting at Leeds Met. in 2010. In 2012 I also got a part-time position at Manchester. I also write and produce plays and have written a couple of plays in Dutch, one of which, Over de Schreef, is published by De Toneelcentrale.
Interests: My main research interest is Historical Linguistics, with particular reference to Dutch and the linguistic environment of the Low Countries in the early modern period. I have published a number of articles on the multilingualism of the Dutch polymath, Sir Constantijn Huygens. I have currently researching the social and cultural history of the Dutch language in early modern Britain. I published an article 'Early Modern records in Dutch in the Norfolk Record Office' in Dutch Crossing 36 2 (2012). My other research interests concern the relationship between theology and poetry in early modern Dutch literature. I have published a number of articles on the theological content of the poetry of Constantijn Huygens and Joost van den Vondel and my translations of some of their poems have been published online. See for example: http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/Dutch/Renaissance/VondelAltaergeheimenissen1645.html
Qualifications: PhD Durham University MA Oxford University BA Durham University
