Archaeologist to give flagship British Academy lecture

A University archaeology professor has been selected to give one of the British Academy’s flagship lectures, delivered by the most outstanding academics in the UK and beyond to showcase the very best scholarship in the humanities and social sciences.

Professor Roberta Gilchrist, Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research (Heritage & Creativity), will be speaking at the British Academy on 10 March 2025 at 6pm on the topic of ‘Medieval Lived Religion: The Complex Lives of Medieval Ritual Objects’. This event is part of the .

Professor Gilchrist, who has been a Fellow of the British Academy since 2008, will be exploring how recent discoveries of later medieval (c.1000-1550 CE) items, have brought the lives of ordinary people in the period into sharper focus. The lecture will discuss the roles these items played in daily life – both spiritual and corporeal - what they tell us about the people who owned them and how they came to be discarded before being rediscovered. This investigation makes up the core of Professor Gilchrist’s current research project, , a collaboration with the British Museum Portable Antiquities Scheme. 

Religious objects such as amulets, pilgrim souvenirs and ecclesiastical artefacts have been uncovered by the general public, particularly by hobbyist metal-detectorists. The lecture will be followed by a short introduction to   the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), a project managed by the British Museum that collates citizen science discoveries made in England and Wales. Michael Lewis, Head of the PAS (and Honorary Professor at the University), will talk about the value of the collection (which numbers over 1.5m million objects) to researchers. A few of the medieval objects that have been unearthed along the Thames will be showcased at the event.  

Professor Gilchrist said: “I am honoured to be giving the Albert Reckitt Archaeological Lecture. I am also delighted to be joined by my colleague Michael Lewis to highlight how research collaboration with the PAS i gleans new historical insights from public finds data.”  

Professor Gilchrist is an expert in the field of medieval beliefs, including monasticism, magic and burial practices. Her previous works include a monograph on digs and excavations at Glastonbury Abbey between 1907-74 and digital reconstructions of the abbey, as well as serving as archaeologist at Norwich Cathedral between 1993-2005. She has also delivered the prestigious and Dalrymple Lecture Series  

Entry to the lecture is free, but places must be booked. The event will be taking place at the British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London on Monday 10 March 6pm-7:30pm. The event includes a reception for all attendees after the lecture. More information can be found on the British Academy website.