Dr Helen Newsome-Chandler | Nottingham Trent University (original) (raw)
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PhD Thesis by Dr Helen Newsome-Chandler
Papers by Dr Helen Newsome-Chandler
Royal Studies Journal, 2024
This article provides a detailed analysis of the strategies of epistolary secrecy that Margaret T... more This article provides a detailed analysis of the strategies of epistolary secrecy that Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, employed in her correspondence with Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, in autumn 1523. During this period, Margaret Tudor acted as a double agent, appearing to be a willing mediator of peace to the Scottish government, whilst simultaneously acting as a spy for England. In this study, I examine how Margaret established separate overt and covert channels of communication with Thomas Howard to maintain her dual identity and to protect herself in a challenging political situation. This analysis provides evidence for the use of multiple channels of communication as a method of epistolary secrecy: a strategy which has been seldom recorded in other studies of early modern letter-writing. Furthermore, this study provides important insight into how intelligence-gathering networks operated in the sixteenth century, revealing the important roles that lesser-known figures (such as members of Scotland's royal household) played in the operation of these networks. My analysis also challenges previous, highly gendered ideas of female political activity which accused Margaret Tudor of being "inconstant" and "politically inept." Instead, I argue that Margaret Tudor was exercising excellent political and diplomatic strategy. This provides an important reassessment of the strategies that late medieval queens could employ to exert power and agency in high-risk diplomatic and political negotiations.
Women's Writing
Through a case study of the holograph letters of Margaret Tudor, Queen ofScots (1489–1541), this ... more Through a case study of the holograph letters of Margaret Tudor, Queen ofScots (1489–1541), this article examines the centuries-old editorial debate of whether to modernise or preserve the old-spelling of early modern texts. I examine how historical biographers and editors have approached and presented the language of Margaret Tudor’s letters and consider the implications their editorial approaches have on how readers perceive the figure and epistolary voice of Margaret Tudor. I then draw upon two recent studies in the field of linguistics to show how the detailed analysis of diplomatic transcriptions of Margaret Tudor’s holograph letters can provide important new insights and a fuller understanding of Margaret’s sociolinguistic history, her dual identity as English princess and Queen ofScots, and the processes and agents involved in the production of her holograph correspondence. This article argues for the necessity of diplomatic editions and for an editorial approach that carefully attends to and contextualises the language of early modern women’s letters. The article contends that such an approach is central to developing more advanced and nuanced understandings of early modern women and their letters.
Language and Law / Language E Direito, 2024
The purpose of this paper is to provide both a theoretical foundation and a practical framework f... more The purpose of this paper is to provide both a theoretical foundation and a practical framework for analysing power and authority in online interactions. This is to assist forensic linguists and law enforcement in their understanding of anonymous online criminal networks, and the roles of individuals in these online communities. The lack of contextual knowledge present in anonymous online fora creates a challenge for the analyst in finding a framework to theorise, explore, and describe different types of power performance and thus the different roles of interactants in these fora. In this paper, we provide a framework to describe the basis on which individuals make claims to power and use this framework to explore the nature and distribution of power across different fora of both criminal and benign intent. This is developed through an analysis of three online discussion fora, of approximately 160,000 words, resulting in a framework of nine main categories of power resource. This allows us to contrast the three fora, showing differences in the nature and distribution of power resource, and also enables description of individuals as high-resource or low-resource with regards to their claims to power. This theory and framework can also be productive in the analysis of language and power in computer mediated communication (CMC) more widely.
![Research paper thumbnail of “[An] old battle constantly re-fought”: Why Language Matters when Editing Early Modern Women’s Letters: A Case Study Of the Holograph Letters of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots (1489–1541)](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/107084706/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Women's Writing, 2023
Through a case study of the holograph letters of Margaret Tudor, Queen ofScots (1489–1541), this ... more Through a case study of the holograph letters of Margaret Tudor, Queen ofScots (1489–1541), this article examines the centuries-old editorial debate of whether to modernise or preserve the old-spelling of early modern texts. I examine how historical biographers and editors have approached and presented the language of Margaret Tudor’s letters and consider the implications their editorial approaches have on how readers perceive the figure and epistolary voice of Margaret Tudor. I then draw upon two recent studies in the field of linguistics to show how the detailed analysis of diplomatic transcriptions of Margaret Tudor’s holograph letters can provide important new insights and a fuller understanding of Margaret’s sociolinguistic history, her dual identity as English princess and Queen ofScots, and the processes and agents involved in the production of her holograph correspondence. This article argues for the necessity of diplomatic editions and for an editorial approach that carefully attends to and contextualises the language of early modern women’s letters. The article contends that such an approach is central to developing more advanced and nuanced understandings of early modern women and their letters.
Journal of Historical Pragmatics, Jun 4, 2019
This article reviews Women and Epistolary Agency in Early Modern Culture, 1450–1690 978-1-47-2478... more This article reviews Women and Epistolary Agency in Early Modern Culture, 1450–1690 978-1-47-247826-9
Renaissance Studies, 2021
This paper offers a detailed analysis of a holograph memorial (also referred to as ‘articles’ or ... more This paper offers a detailed analysis of a holograph memorial (also referred to as ‘articles’ or ‘instructions’) sent by Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, to the English court in January 1522, in an effort to persuade Henry VIII to agree to a renewal of Anglo-Scots peace. Despite their prevalence in many diplomatic correspondence collections, there has been little study on the exact nature and purpose of the memorial genre, or analysis of how the memorial differed from the medieval and early modern letter. Through an analysis of this holograph memorial, I offer some initial thoughts on the format, function and performative impact of the memorial genre, as well as exploring why Margaret chose to send a memorial (and accompanying correspondence) to Henry VIII in January 1522 instead of a more conventional letter. This case study shows that Margaret Tudor was a skilled writer, well-versed in the mechanisms of diplomatic literacy, who held a central role in the mediation of Anglo-Scots diplomatic relations and communication in the early sixteenth century.
Notes and Queries, 2017
On 8 August 1503, Henry VII’s eldest daughter Margaret Tudor married James IV, King of Scotland, ... more On 8 August 1503, Henry VII’s eldest daughter Margaret Tudor married James IV, King of Scotland, in a symbolic union of the Treaty of Perpetual Peace between England and Scotland. In celebration of this union and her new status as Queen of Scotland, Margaret received the gifts of two luxurious Books of Hours; one from her new husband and the other from her father. Whilst some research has been conducted into the iconography and origins of these personal prayer books, consideration of the provenance and ownership history of these Books of Hours can shed new light on the character, personal relationships, political relationships, and gift-giving practices performed by Margaret Tudor at the Scottish Renaissance court.
Substantially more is known of the provenance of the Book of Hours commissioned by James IV (also known as the ‘Hours of James IV of Scotland’),1 and presented to Margaret as an opulent marriage gift in 1503. In folio 188 of the text, an inscription made in Margaret’s own hand helps us to trace later ownership of the text: ‘Madame I pray your grace / Remember on me when ye / loke upon this bok / Your lofing syster / Margaret’.2 From this inscription, we can infer that at some point following the death of her husband, James IV, in September 1513, Margaret passed the prayer book to her sister, Mary Tudor, who went on to marry the King of France. Historical accounts then note that by the late seventeenth century, the Book of Hours came into the possession of Pope Leopold I, and is now housed at the Austria National Library, Vienna.
Book Reviews by Dr Helen Newsome-Chandler
Journal of Historical Pragmatics, 2019
This article reviews Women and Epistolary Agency in Early Modern Culture, 1450–1690.
Royal Studies Journal, 2024
This article provides a detailed analysis of the strategies of epistolary secrecy that Margaret T... more This article provides a detailed analysis of the strategies of epistolary secrecy that Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, employed in her correspondence with Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, in autumn 1523. During this period, Margaret Tudor acted as a double agent, appearing to be a willing mediator of peace to the Scottish government, whilst simultaneously acting as a spy for England. In this study, I examine how Margaret established separate overt and covert channels of communication with Thomas Howard to maintain her dual identity and to protect herself in a challenging political situation. This analysis provides evidence for the use of multiple channels of communication as a method of epistolary secrecy: a strategy which has been seldom recorded in other studies of early modern letter-writing. Furthermore, this study provides important insight into how intelligence-gathering networks operated in the sixteenth century, revealing the important roles that lesser-known figures (such as members of Scotland's royal household) played in the operation of these networks. My analysis also challenges previous, highly gendered ideas of female political activity which accused Margaret Tudor of being "inconstant" and "politically inept." Instead, I argue that Margaret Tudor was exercising excellent political and diplomatic strategy. This provides an important reassessment of the strategies that late medieval queens could employ to exert power and agency in high-risk diplomatic and political negotiations.
Women's Writing
Through a case study of the holograph letters of Margaret Tudor, Queen ofScots (1489–1541), this ... more Through a case study of the holograph letters of Margaret Tudor, Queen ofScots (1489–1541), this article examines the centuries-old editorial debate of whether to modernise or preserve the old-spelling of early modern texts. I examine how historical biographers and editors have approached and presented the language of Margaret Tudor’s letters and consider the implications their editorial approaches have on how readers perceive the figure and epistolary voice of Margaret Tudor. I then draw upon two recent studies in the field of linguistics to show how the detailed analysis of diplomatic transcriptions of Margaret Tudor’s holograph letters can provide important new insights and a fuller understanding of Margaret’s sociolinguistic history, her dual identity as English princess and Queen ofScots, and the processes and agents involved in the production of her holograph correspondence. This article argues for the necessity of diplomatic editions and for an editorial approach that carefully attends to and contextualises the language of early modern women’s letters. The article contends that such an approach is central to developing more advanced and nuanced understandings of early modern women and their letters.
Language and Law / Language E Direito, 2024
The purpose of this paper is to provide both a theoretical foundation and a practical framework f... more The purpose of this paper is to provide both a theoretical foundation and a practical framework for analysing power and authority in online interactions. This is to assist forensic linguists and law enforcement in their understanding of anonymous online criminal networks, and the roles of individuals in these online communities. The lack of contextual knowledge present in anonymous online fora creates a challenge for the analyst in finding a framework to theorise, explore, and describe different types of power performance and thus the different roles of interactants in these fora. In this paper, we provide a framework to describe the basis on which individuals make claims to power and use this framework to explore the nature and distribution of power across different fora of both criminal and benign intent. This is developed through an analysis of three online discussion fora, of approximately 160,000 words, resulting in a framework of nine main categories of power resource. This allows us to contrast the three fora, showing differences in the nature and distribution of power resource, and also enables description of individuals as high-resource or low-resource with regards to their claims to power. This theory and framework can also be productive in the analysis of language and power in computer mediated communication (CMC) more widely.
Women's Writing, 2023
Through a case study of the holograph letters of Margaret Tudor, Queen ofScots (1489–1541), this ... more Through a case study of the holograph letters of Margaret Tudor, Queen ofScots (1489–1541), this article examines the centuries-old editorial debate of whether to modernise or preserve the old-spelling of early modern texts. I examine how historical biographers and editors have approached and presented the language of Margaret Tudor’s letters and consider the implications their editorial approaches have on how readers perceive the figure and epistolary voice of Margaret Tudor. I then draw upon two recent studies in the field of linguistics to show how the detailed analysis of diplomatic transcriptions of Margaret Tudor’s holograph letters can provide important new insights and a fuller understanding of Margaret’s sociolinguistic history, her dual identity as English princess and Queen ofScots, and the processes and agents involved in the production of her holograph correspondence. This article argues for the necessity of diplomatic editions and for an editorial approach that carefully attends to and contextualises the language of early modern women’s letters. The article contends that such an approach is central to developing more advanced and nuanced understandings of early modern women and their letters.
Journal of Historical Pragmatics, Jun 4, 2019
This article reviews Women and Epistolary Agency in Early Modern Culture, 1450–1690 978-1-47-2478... more This article reviews Women and Epistolary Agency in Early Modern Culture, 1450–1690 978-1-47-247826-9
Renaissance Studies, 2021
This paper offers a detailed analysis of a holograph memorial (also referred to as ‘articles’ or ... more This paper offers a detailed analysis of a holograph memorial (also referred to as ‘articles’ or ‘instructions’) sent by Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, to the English court in January 1522, in an effort to persuade Henry VIII to agree to a renewal of Anglo-Scots peace. Despite their prevalence in many diplomatic correspondence collections, there has been little study on the exact nature and purpose of the memorial genre, or analysis of how the memorial differed from the medieval and early modern letter. Through an analysis of this holograph memorial, I offer some initial thoughts on the format, function and performative impact of the memorial genre, as well as exploring why Margaret chose to send a memorial (and accompanying correspondence) to Henry VIII in January 1522 instead of a more conventional letter. This case study shows that Margaret Tudor was a skilled writer, well-versed in the mechanisms of diplomatic literacy, who held a central role in the mediation of Anglo-Scots diplomatic relations and communication in the early sixteenth century.
Notes and Queries, 2017
On 8 August 1503, Henry VII’s eldest daughter Margaret Tudor married James IV, King of Scotland, ... more On 8 August 1503, Henry VII’s eldest daughter Margaret Tudor married James IV, King of Scotland, in a symbolic union of the Treaty of Perpetual Peace between England and Scotland. In celebration of this union and her new status as Queen of Scotland, Margaret received the gifts of two luxurious Books of Hours; one from her new husband and the other from her father. Whilst some research has been conducted into the iconography and origins of these personal prayer books, consideration of the provenance and ownership history of these Books of Hours can shed new light on the character, personal relationships, political relationships, and gift-giving practices performed by Margaret Tudor at the Scottish Renaissance court.
Substantially more is known of the provenance of the Book of Hours commissioned by James IV (also known as the ‘Hours of James IV of Scotland’),1 and presented to Margaret as an opulent marriage gift in 1503. In folio 188 of the text, an inscription made in Margaret’s own hand helps us to trace later ownership of the text: ‘Madame I pray your grace / Remember on me when ye / loke upon this bok / Your lofing syster / Margaret’.2 From this inscription, we can infer that at some point following the death of her husband, James IV, in September 1513, Margaret passed the prayer book to her sister, Mary Tudor, who went on to marry the King of France. Historical accounts then note that by the late seventeenth century, the Book of Hours came into the possession of Pope Leopold I, and is now housed at the Austria National Library, Vienna.
Journal of Historical Pragmatics, 2019
This article reviews Women and Epistolary Agency in Early Modern Culture, 1450–1690.