Aspiring English and History students: come and be immersed in the world of medieval manuscripts and texts at our one-night residential, hosted in conjunction with the Parker Library.

The Medieval Worlds residential is back for 2026 and nominations are now open! 

The programme will include an introduction to manuscripts, how to handle them, how to interrogate them, and what we can learn not only from what is contained within the text but also from them as objects as well. There will be workshops led by University of Cambridge subject specialists, covering narrower themes and topics relating to the medieval aspects of History, English and Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic. 

The internationally renowned Parker Library contains the third largest collection of ancient manuscripts in the UK and has been housed in Corpus since the late 16th century after Matthew Parker (1504-1575), Archbishop of Canterbury and former Master of Corpus Christi, left his extensive personal library of manuscripts and books to the College in his will. 

When is the residential?

Thursday 9 April - Friday 10 April 2026 (overnight accommodation provided in College)

Who is it for?

Year 12 students (Year 13 in Northern Ireland/ S5 in Scotland) who are considering studying English, History or Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at university, and who are interested in the medieval elements of these courses.

What’s the cost?

No cost - accommodation and food are covered! All you need to cover is your travel to and from Cambridge, with travel bursaries available for students who are eligible for government-funded Free School Meals. If travel costs are a barrier to you being nominated, then please do get in touch with us. 

Am I eligible?

Nominated students must be: 

• In Y12 (Y13/S5 in NI/Scotland) at a UK school
• On track to achieve A*AA at A Level (or equivalent)
• Interested in studying the Medieval period

If the residential is oversubscribed, then priority will be given to students who come from ‘widening participation’ backgrounds. 

How do I sign up?

Students need to write a short personal statement (max 250 words) which explains why you would like to attend the Medieval Worlds residential and what you find most interesting about the Medieval period. You will need to send this to a teacher who can upload this to the teacher nomination form. 

The teacher nomination form is now open and will close on Monday 2nd March 2026 (6pm). To complete the nomination form, the following information is required: 

• Student's predicted A Level grades 
• Student's personal details such as DOB and home postcode
• A short reference from a relevant subject teacher
• Student's written response to why they want to attend the residential and their interest in the Medieval period. 

We will notify all nominees of the outcome of their application in March. If you have any queries about the nomination process or the residential, please don't hesitate to contact Lucy. 

What previous attending students have said

"It was such an enlightening experience that gave me the confidence to explain my ideas to others like me about subjects I’d never considered before: it allowed me an opportunity to interact with historical artefacts that otherwise I wouldn’t have had, and the welcome that I received throughout the residential really helped me to seriously imagine myself studying at Cambridge."

"I found the course incredibly inspiring. I feel very grateful to have been given the opportunity to engage with the medieval world in a completely different way from that of my study of History at A level through the introduction to the Parker Library's incredible collection of manuscripts and the inspiring academic sessions. The residential sparked my interest in medieval manuscripts, an interest which I don’t think I would have otherwise found and one that I’m excited to explore further."

"The whole thing was just brilliant and everybody was so welcoming. Felt amazing being able to talk to other people interested in the same things as me!"