Rosamund Oates

I am an expert in the historical cultures of Early Modern England (c. 1500-1750), with particular expertise in histories of deafness and disability.

My book on the history of deafness, Silent Histories: Deafness in Early Modern England will be published by Cambridge University Press in 2026, and is the historical study of deafness and disability in early modern England. Previous projects have included studies of the history of reading, the English reformations, and a biography of a Jacobean Archbishop of York, Tobie Matthew.

I am passionate about exploring previously unknown stories of deaf and disabled people, using rigorous scholarly techniques to discover, analyse and share histories of disability. I lead a research cluster at MMU, ‘Cultures of Disability’, which examines experiences of disability from Ancient Greece to the present day.

I have extensive experience of working with libraries, museums, art galleries and heritage sites, and provide expert guidance to organisations who want to develop an inclusive approach to disability history.

I share my research with non-academic audiences too, appearing on Radio 4, Plains Radio FM (New Zeland), and writing for popular publications including The Limping Chicken and BBC History Magazine.