Charlotte Evans

The daily lived experiences of women in 18th Century Britain

Supervised by Dr Jim MacPherson and Dr Lucy Dean.

Charlotte graduated with Distinction in the MLitt History with the UHI Centre for History before progressing to PhD.

Her research seeks to understand the daily lived experiences of women in 18^th Century Britain, in particular their experiences of their clothing. What was it like to wear 18^th century fashions? How easy or comfortable were these clothes to work in? How did those things change as a woman's body changed with age, childbirth, ill-health or other circumstances?

These kinds of questions are rarely asked by historians, and traditional research methods struggle to answer them. Charlotte's research takes a new, interdisciplinary approach, incorporating the new concepts of 'embodied' and 'experiential' history, seeking answers to questions via practical experience.

Drawing on the extensive knowledge, experience, and expertise of the re-enactment community, Charlotte's work combines documents, surviving garments and hands-on making, wearing and working in recreated 18^th century-style clothes to seek a deeper understanding of how 18^th century British women experienced the world on this most intimate and fundamental level.

If you are interested in Charlotte's work, she can be contacted at 18016566@uhi.ac.uk.