Full Project Title: 'Hidden Pillars of Power: Women, Property, Influence, and Legacy in the Country Estates of Cheshire and North-East Wales, 1600–1800'
Doctoral Researcher: Daisy Hughes
Supervised by: Dr Shaun Evans and Dr Karen Pollock
To reconstruct and rebalance country house history to fully include women and the roles they played, their importance, and their legacy. Women were significantly important to the successful running (and improvement) of country houses and their associated estates; yet women’s lives and experiences are still underrepresented in both the historiography of the country house and estate, and in modern day heritage interpretation at country house attractions. This regional case study focuses on the cross-border experience of Cheshire and north east Wales, especially within the period of 1600-1800.
Recent activity: In October 2026, Daisy received the Avril Rolph Prize for the best original research paper in women’s history in Wales, awarded by Women's Archive Wales. Her award-winning paper, entitled ‘‘Keeping the House Together’: Emotional Labour and Female Estate Authority in North Wales, 1600-1800’, forms part of her doctoral research project. Daisy received the award at the the 29th Women’s Archive Wales Conference in Swansea. You can read more about this achievement in our recent blog post.
