Rachel Swallow is an archaeologist specialising in the study of

landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the p ...

and castles. She was elected a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher educationa ...

in 2018. Swallow studied at

Birmingham Polytechnic , mottoeng = "Do what you are doing; attend to your business" , established = 1992—gained university status1971—City of Birmingham Polytechnic1843— Birmingham College of Art , type = Public , affiliation ...

and the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

before completing a PhD at the

University of Chester , mottoeng = "He that teacheth, on teaching" , former_names = , established = (gained university status in 2005) , type = Public , endowment = £395,000 (2018) , budget = £118.3 million , chancellor = Gyles Brandreth , vice_chancell ...

in 2015. She is visiting research fellow and guest lecturer at the University of Chester and honorary fellow at the University of Liverpool. Swallow is also chair of the Chester Archaeological Society.

Education

Swallow studied at

, where she completed a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in foreign languages for business. She went on to study at the

, completing a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

in landscape, heritage and society in 2000 and then the

, where she undertook a Doctor of Philosophy. Swallow completed her doctoral research in 2015 and was supervised by Howard Williams and Peter Gaunt with mentoring from Stewart Ainsworth on landscape archaeology; her thesis was titled ''Cheshire Castles in Context''.

Career

Swallow began a career in business management before taking a master's degree in landscape, heritage and society and pursuing archaeology. She began working in the University of Chester's history department in 2000, straight after completing her MA. Swallow was the first staff visiting lecturer and continued lecturing while researching her PhD. At the same time, she also held several other teaching positions and began publishing her research. Between 2003 and 2007 Swallow was a tutor at

Keele University Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Kee ...

, teaching students about archaeology and landscape studies. Swallow collaborated with Robert Liddiard to write the

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

guidebook for

Beeston Castle Beeston Castle is a former Royal castle in Beeston, Cheshire, England (), perched on a rocky sandstone crag above the Cheshire Plain. It was built in the 1220s by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester (1170–1232), on his return from t ...

in Cheshire. It was published in 2007 as part of a new scheme of guidebooks produced for the organisation and replacing the 1995 guidebook. In 2009, Swallow began tutoring at Burton Manor College, again teaching about archaeology and the landscape. This role continued until the college closed in 2011. While researching her PhD and shortly afterwards, Swallow published several articles on castles in Cheshire. These articles included a study of the landscape archaeology of

Aldford Castle Aldford Castle is a motte and bailey castle in the village of Aldford in Cheshire. The motte is to the north of St John's Church, and the church stands on the site of an infilled bailey ditch. The origin and dates of construction of the castle ...

, investigations at Shocklach Castle, and a survey of Dodleston Castle, all in the ''Cheshire History Journal''. Between 2015 and 2016, she also published two papers in ''

The Archaeological Journal ''The Archaeological Journal'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal for archaeological and architectural reports and articles. It was established in 1844 by the British Archaeological Association as a quarterly journal, but was taken over by the Br ...

'' summarising key results from her PhD. Swallow was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in March 2018. The following year she was elected to the council of the

Royal Archaeological Institute The Royal Archaeological Institute (RAI) is a learned society, established in 1844, with interests in all aspects of the archaeological, architectural and landscape history of the British Isles. Membership is open to all with an interest in these ...

. Swallow joined the University of Liverpool in 2020 as a Data Technician and Temporary Research Assistant in the Department of Archaeology; in that role she contributes to 'The Human Remains: Digital Library' project. Since November 2020, Swallow has been Chair of the

Chester Archaeological Society Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Local ...

. Swallow participated in

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

series ''The Great British Dig'' when they excavated at

West Derby West Derby ( ) is an affluent suburb of Liverpool, England. It is located East of the city and is also a Liverpool City Council ward. At the 2011 Census, the population was 14,382. History West Derby Mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'', Wes ...

Selected publications

Swallow has published articles and chapters in numerous venues. This includes new interpretations of Beeston Castle (published in ''

'' and ''Château Gaillard''); Anglo-Norman castles in the Irish Sea Cultural Zone and the Anglo-Welsh border (also published in ''The Archaeological Journal''); and

Caernarfon Castle Caernarfon Castle ( cy, Castell Caernarfon ) – often anglicised as Carnarvon Castle or Caernarvon Castle – is a medieval fortress in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, north-west Wales cared for by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic envir ...

's landscape setting and architecture (published in ''Archaeologia Cambrensis'', ''Château Gaillard'', and ''Britain and Its Neighbours''). * * * *:Runner-up in the

British Association for Local History The British Association for Local History (BALH) is a membership organisation that exists to promote the advancement of public education through the study of local history and to encourage and assist the study of local history throughout Great Bri ...

Awards 2014 * * * * * * *

References

External links

* *
Legend, Lordship and Landscape
a talk Swallow gave to the Royal Archaeological institute in 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:Swallow, Rachel British women archaeologists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century British women writers Alumni of Birmingham City University Alumni of the University of Chester Academics of the University of Chester Academics of the University of Liverpool Castellologists British archaeologists 21st-century British writers