Sheila C. S. Newton
PhD Project Title: Settlement and Landscape in the Parishes of Muggleswick and Edmundbyers and adjacent areas of the Upper Derwent Valley
Subject Area: Archaeology
Personal Profile:
Having been a teacher with primary interests in Geography and Environmental Studies, and a Calligrapher enthralled by Early Mediaeval manuscripts, it was a natural progression that my MLitt dissertation should be about marginal Anglo-Saxon/Anglo-Scandinavian settlements.
From this grew a fascination with the history of the landscape and settlement of the area where I live. Undertaking research for a PhD has given me the opportunity to investigate in detail the changes that have occurred in the physical landscape and in the inhabitants’ perceptions of it. As a result it is a multi-disciplinary project involving geography, archaeology, local history, documents and fieldwork. It also permits comparisons of general and specific data with other parts of the North Pennines and areas further afield. The end product should be a much more comprehensive account of the area than has previously been attempted.
Other Information:
I am a Practitioner of the Institute for Archaeologists and worked part-time for several years on geophysical surveys.
I have taught courses for the Centre for Lifelong Learning in Anglo-Scandinavian marginal settlement, Saxon and Viking migrations and landscape archaeology.
I have also taught calligraphy to adult learners.
I am secretary of the Upper Derwent History and Archaeology Society and a member of the Archaeological Illustration Group; I undertake illustrations for publication.
As a former printer/publisher I also undertake proofreading for students and for publications.