Hi and thank you for visiting my site. My name is Dr Ashley Firth and I am a medieval historian from Manchester. I have been obsessed with history for as long as I can remember. In 2007 I completed my History degree. I then went on to study for an MA in history. In 2016, I was awarded a PhD in history. The focus of my research was the Crusades with a focus on gender. I have been working as a university lecturer and researcher ever since I completed my PhD.
Manchistorian stemmed from my desire to spread history to a much wider audience than the seminar room. It is my belief that well researched history ought to be accessible to all.
I wanted to create a blog which enables me as a Historian to focus on some aspects of local history, the history of Manchester and the surrounding areas, but also allows me to share with a wider audience some of my research and research interests. Here you will find lots of academic posts mingled with local history posts. I am originally from Oldham so there’s lots of information relating to Oldham’s past here. Local History is a category I wish to expand in particular.
During my career in academia, I have taught on a variety of subjects from the early medieval period to English Civil War. I have a special interest in gender studies too. Given the subject of my PhD was the Crusades, you’ll find lots of Crusade material on this blog that will hopefully pique your interest.
I really hope you find this blog useful as the site expands. If you have any suggestions for any posts you’d like to see, then please get in touch! You can email me at: ashley@manchistorian.com
