Research in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic
The Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic is a world-renowned centre for research into the history, literature, languages, and material cultures of Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, and Brittany in the early Middle Ages. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), ASNC formed a core component of the University of Cambridge’s top-tier submission to Modern Languages and Linguistics.
Digital Collections & Research Gateways
Departmental PortalsEarly Irish Glossaries Database (EIGD)
Searchable digital editions, concordances, and linguistic commentary on major medieval Irish lexical compilations: Sanas Cormaic (Cormac's Glossary), O'Mulconry's Glossary, and Dúil Dromma Cetta. Directed by Prof Paul Russell and Dr Sharon Arbuthnot.
ASNC Spoken Word Project
13 authentic scholarly audio recordings of early medieval poetry and prose in reconstructed original pronunciations (Old English, Old Norse, Medieval Welsh, Middle Cornish, Old Irish, and Anglo-Latin) with interactive HTML5 audio players.
Latin Arthurian Literature & Geoffrey of Monmouth
AHRC-funded project producing critical editions, translations, and literary-historical analyses of medieval Latin Arthurian romance, chronicles, and the reception of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britanniae.
Converting the Isles & Mapping Conversion
A major interdisciplinary network investigating the Christianisation of Britain, Ireland, and Scandinavia between c. 300 and 1300, examining archaeological, textual, linguistic, and place-name evidence for religious transformation.
Funded Research Projects
Research Council and Foundation-supported initiatives across the department
Chronology of the Medieval Irish Lexicon
Principal Investigator: Prof Máire Ní Mhaonaigh (with Queen's University Belfast)
Building upon the digital Dictionary of the Irish Language (eDIL), this major initiative systematically establishes chronological linguistic strata across the medieval Gaelic vocabulary, shedding new light on text dating and historical semantics.
Mapping the Medieval Irish Mind
Principal Investigator: Prof Máire Ní Mhaonaigh (Collaborative Project)
Investigating cognitive, conceptual, and linguistic frameworks in early medieval Gaelic culture through computational semantic network mapping and corpus linguistics.
The Gersum Project: Scandinavian Influence on English
Co-Director: Prof Richard Dance (with Cardiff University)
A comprehensive, searchable database examining the Norse loanwords in Middle English poetry (including Sir Gawain and the Green Knight), tracing lexical borrowing and Anglo-Scandinavian contact.
Foundations of Gold and Silver
Lead Researcher: Prof Rory Naismith
Monetary, economic, and metallurgical studies investigating the production, circulation, and social uses of coined and uncoined precious metals across early medieval northwestern Europe and Anglo-Saxon England.
The Writings of Gerald of Wales
Co-Investigator: Prof Paul Russell (with University of Oxford)
New critical editions and commentaries on the voluminous Latin works of Gerald of Wales (Giraldus Cambrensis, c. 1146–1223), illuminating the politics, geography, and ethnographic attitudes of 12th-century Wales and Ireland.
The Íslendingasögur as Prosimetrum
Director: Prof Judy Quinn (with University of Copenhagen)
Detailed investigation of the interplay between skaldic verse and saga narrative prose across the Family Sagas (Íslendingasögur), exploring oral performance, manuscript transmission, and skaldic poetics.
Spreading the Word(s)
Director: Prof Máire Ní Mhaonaigh (with MoLI & RIA)
A public humanities collaboration with the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) and the Royal Irish Academy, exploring the history, cultural impact, and storytelling power of early Irish words through radio podcasts and exhibitions.
Vitae Sanctorum Cambriae (VSC)
Principal Investigator: Prof Paul Russell
Comprehensive digital edition and scholarly commentary on the Latin Lives of the Welsh Saints (including David, Cadog, Illtud, and Beuno), exploring Celtic monastic traditions and medieval Welsh ecclesiastical politics.
PASE: Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
Co-Director: Prof Simon Keynes (with King's College London)
A comprehensive database recording information about every recorded individual residing in Anglo-Saxon England or interacting with Anglo-Saxon institutions from the late 6th century to the late 11th century (including Domesday Book).
The Electronic Sawyer (Anglo-Saxon Charters)
Director: Prof Simon Keynes
The definitive catalogue, textual database, and bibliographical guide to all surviving royal and ecclesiastical Anglo-Saxon charters, writs, wills, and diplomatic records from the conversion to the Norman Conquest.
Peter's Pence and Anglo-Saxon Rome
Lead Researcher: Prof Rory Naismith
Monographic study and hoard catalogue of the 1883 House of the Vestals coin hoard in Rome, illuminating financial, spiritual, and diplomatic links between Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and the Papacy.
Brittany and the Atlantic Archipelago
Researchers: Dr Caroline Brett, Dr Fiona Edmonds, Prof Paul Russell
Investigating maritime, ecclesiastical, and literary connections between early medieval Brittany, Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, and Anglo-Saxon England (c. 450–1200), culminating in a major monograph from Cambridge University Press.
Interpreting Eddic Poetry
Editor: Prof Judy Quinn (with Carolyne Larrington)
Scholarly handbook surveying mythological and heroic alliterative poetry preserved in the Codex Regius and associated medieval Icelandic manuscripts, exploring pagan deities, oral transmission, and European parallels.
eSenchas: Medieval Irish Electronic Resource
Departmental Project
Electronic repository of medieval Irish genealogical, historical, and topographical texts, facilitating digital textual analysis, king-lists, and manuscript concordances.
Departmental Named Lectures & Publications
The Department hosts three internationally distinguished annual memorial lecture series and publishes research pamphlets, coursebooks, and textual guides.
Annual Memorial Lectures
Discover the history and published papers of the H.M. Chadwick Memorial Lectures, the Kathleen Hughes Memorial Lectures, and the E.C. Quiggin Memorial Lectures.
Departmental Publications & Free Downloads
Order printed pamphlets, basic Insular texts, and Celtic/Anglo-Saxon linguistic guides, or access free downloadable open-access scholarly publications.