Rachel Swallow

Swallow studied at Birmingham Polytechnic, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts in foreign languages for business.{{cite web |url=https://liverpool.academia.edu/DrRachelSwallowFSA/CurriculumVitae |title=Dr Rachel E. Swallow FSA |website=academia.edu |accessdate=3 October 2021}} She went on to study at the University of Liverpool, completing a Master of Arts in landscape, heritage and society in 2000 and then the University of Chester, 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.{{cite web |url=https://chesterrep.openrepository.com/handle/10034/620385 |title=Cheshire castles in context |date=July 2015 |publisher=University of Chester |accessdate=3 October 2021|last1=Swallow |first1=Rachel E. }}

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.{{citation |url=https://www.chester.ac.uk/sites/files/chester/University_of_Chester_AR_2014_FINAL.pdf |contribution=Case study: Rachel Elizabeth Swallow |title=Annual Review 2014 |publisher=University of Chester |page=68}} 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, teaching students about archaeology and landscape studies.{{cite web |url=https://www1.chester.ac.uk/departments/history-and-archaeology/staff/rachel-e-swallow |title=Dr Rachel E. Swallow, FSA: Visiting Research Fellow and Guest Lecturer |publisher=University of Chester |accessdate=3 October 2021}} Swallow collaborated with Robert Liddiard to write the English Heritage guidebook for Beeston Castle in Cheshire. It was published in 2007 as part of a new scheme of guidebooks produced for the organisation and replacing the 1995 guidebook.{{citation |title=Castle Studies: Recent Publications – 21 |first=John R. |last=Kenyon |year=2009 |page=10 |publisher=Castle Studies Group |url=http://www.castlestudiesgroup.org.uk/csg2008bibRev1.pdf}}{{cite web |url=http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/182.html |title=Beeston Castle |website=Gatehouse Gazetteer |accessdate=3 October 2021}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/burton-manor-sale-university-chester-5383760 |title=Campaigners worried about state of disused Burton Manor |newspaper=Cheshire Live |date=31 July 2013 |accessdate=3 October 2021}} 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, investigations at Shocklach Castle, and a survey of Dodleston Castle, all in the Cheshire History Journal.{{citation |url=http://www.castlestudiesgroup.org.uk/csg2013bib.pdf |last=Eadie |first=Gillian |title=Castle Studies: Recent publications – 26 |year=2013 |publisher=Castle Studies Group |page=11}}{{citation |url=http://www.castlestudiesgroup.org.uk/CSG%20Bibliography%2027-corrected-web.pdf |first=Gillian |last=Eadie |title=Castle Studies: Recent publications – 27 |publisher=Castle Studies Group |year=2014 |page=10}}{{citation |url=http://www.castlestudiesgroup.org.uk/CSG%20Bibliog%2028.pdf |first=Gillian |last=Scott |title=Castle Studies: Recent publications – 28 |publisher=Castle Studies Group |year=2015 |page=4}} Between 2015 and 2016, she also published two papers in The Archaeological Journal summarising key results from her PhD.{{citation |url=http://www.castlestudiesgroup.org.uk/CSG%20Bibliog%2029_v2.1.pdf |first=Gillian |last=Scott |title=Castle Studies: Recent publications – 29 |publisher=Castle Studies Group |year=2016 |page=4}}

Swallow was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in March 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www.sal.org.uk/our-fellows/directory/dr-rachel-swallow/ |title=Rachel Swallow |publisher=Society of Antiquaries of London |accessdate=3 October 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://www.sal.org.uk/our-fellows/directory/page/196/ |title=Fellows Directory |publisher=Society of Antiquaries |accessdate=3 October 2021}} The following year she was elected to the council of the Royal Archaeological Institute.{{citation |url=https://www.royalarchinst.org/sites/royalarchinst.org/files/documents/2019Final_RAI_Accounts_and_Council_Report.pdf |title=The Royal Archaeological Institute Council Report and Financial Statements, 31 December 2019 |year=2020 |page=8 |access-date=3 October 2021 |archive-date=5 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005192406/https://www.royalarchinst.org/sites/royalarchinst.org/files/documents/2019Final_RAI_Accounts_and_Council_Report.pdf |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/working/whyworkhere/staff-profile-5/ |title=Rachel Swallow |publisher=University of Liverpool |accessdate=3 October 2021}} From 2020 to 2021, Swallow was Chair of the Chester Archaeological Society.{{citation |url=https://chesterarchaeolsoc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/CHE_ANTIQ_20-2_V02.pdf |title=Changes to Council: Welcome and Farewell! |journal=The Chester Antiquary |year=2020 |issue=2 |page=2}}{{citation |url=https://chesterarchaeolsoc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Che_Antiq_21-06_V03_new.pdf |title=Best Wishes for Christmas to all our Members |last=Montgomery |first=Elizabeth |journal=The Chester Antiquary |year=2021 |issue=6 |page=1}} Swallow participated in Channel 4 series The Great British Dig when they excavated at West Derby.{{Cite book |last=Duckworth |first=Chloë |title=The Great British Dig: History in Your Back Garden |date=2022 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing Plc |isbn=978-1-84486-625-0 |location=London |oclc=1298393366 |author-link=Chloë Duckworth}}

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Swallow has published articles and chapters in numerous venues. This includes new interpretations of Beeston Castle (published in The Archaeological Journal 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's landscape setting and architecture (published in Archaeologia Cambrensis, Château Gaillard, and Britain and Its Neighbours).

• {{Cite book |title=Beeston Castle |publisher=English Heritage |year=2007 |last1=Liddiard |first1=Robert |last2=McGuicken [Swallow] |first2=Rachel}}
• {{Cite journal|last=McGuicken [Swallow] |first=Rachel|date=2010 |title=Castle in context? Redefining the significance of Beeston Castle, Cheshire |journal=Journal of the Chester Archaeological Society|volume=81|pages=65–82}} {{Doi|10.5284/1070377}}
• {{Cite journal|last=Swallow|first=Rachel|date=2012|title=Landscape of Power: Aldford castle, Cheshire |journal=Cheshire History|volume=52|pages=5–28}}
• :Runner-up in the British Association for Local History Awards 2014{{citation |title=BALH Awards 2014 |year=2014 |journal=Local History News |volume=112 |url=https://www.balh.org.uk/download?file=publication-lhn-local-history-news-number-112-summer-2014&pub=lhn |page=27}}
• {{Cite journal|last=Swallow|first=Rachel|date=2014 |title=Gateways to Power: The Castles of Ranulf III of Chester and Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd |journal=The Archaeological Journal|volume=171|issue=1|pages=289–311|doi=10.1080/00665983.2014.11078268|s2cid=162382565}}
• {{Cite journal|last=Swallow|first=Rachel|date=2016 |title=Cheshire Castles of the Irish Sea Cultural Zone |journal=The Archaeological Journal|volume=173|issue=2|pages=288–341|doi=10.1080/00665983.2016.1191279|s2cid=163766715}}
• {{Cite journal|last=Swallow|first=Rachel|date=2018 |title=Hilltop castles in a medieval landscape: Beeston and Buckton, Cheshire, England |journal=Château Gaillard: Études de castellologie médiévale |volume=28|pages=271–282}}
• {{Cite journal|last=Swallow|first=Rachel|date=2019 |title=Living the dream: the legend, lady and landscape of Caernarfon Castle, Gwynedd, North Wales |journal=Archaeologia Cambrensis|language=English|volume=168|pages=153–196}}
• {{Citation |last=Swallow|first=Rachel|date=2021 |title=The forests and elite residences of the earls of Chester in Cheshire |journal=Anglo-Norman Studies|language=English|volume=43|pages=15–38|doi=10.2307/j.ctv1q16rh1.7|s2cid=236261883}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Swallow |first=Rachel |date=2021 |title=Cherchez la femme: a Fresh Interdisciplinary and Multi-Period Approach to Understanding Gender, Place and Space at Caernarfon Castle in Gwynedd, Wales |journal=Château Gaillard: Études de castellologie médiévale |volume=29}}
• {{Cite book |last=Swallow |first=Rachel |date=2021 |contribution=Ring-fencing the gardinum? European romance to British reality of the thirteenth-century Caernarfon Castle garden and park |title=Britain and Its Neighbours: Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Medieval and Early Modern Europe |pages=121–139 |doi=10.4324/9780429324741-7-8|s2cid=233568112 }}

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• {{official website}}
• {{academia}}
• {{ResearchGate}}
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZSEW5oqCVE Legend, Lordship and Landscape], a talk Swallow gave to the Royal Archaeological institute in 2020

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Category:British women archaeologists

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century British women writers

Category:Alumni of Birmingham City University

Category:Alumni of the University of Chester

Category:Academics of the University of Chester

Category:Academics of the University of Liverpool

Category:Castellologists

Category:British archaeologists

Category:21st-century British writers

Category:Medieval archaeologists