Monday 09 December 2024: 2023 Ramsay Postgraduate Scholar Celeste van Gent is a medievalist from Mudgee NSW, studying a Doctor of Philosophy in History at the University of Oxford.
A University of Sydney medallist, she’s interested in late medieval soldiers and their relationships with animals, exploring their everyday experience and ritual lives. Currently focusing on the healing practices and ritual treatments of medieval soldiers and warhorses, she is a frequent visitor to Oxford’s exceptional libraries such as the Duke Humphrey’s Library, which dates back to the 15th century, and the Weston Library where she has access to manuscripts hundreds of years old.
When not hitting the books, Celeste is busy in her new role as Junior Dean of Pembroke College, a welfare post concerned with student wellbeing, as well as her role as President of the Oxford University Touch Rugby Club. The club was recently granted Half Blue status; she too is now a “Half Blue”.
Celeste says she is grateful in so many ways for the Ramsay Scholarship, particularly its global network of scholars as well as the flexibility it offers to pursue research in a variety of fields.
In her own words:
The Ramsay scholarship has offered me an opportunity like no other. Not only do I have the privilege to study in one of the world’s best and most-renowned universities, I have the freedom to pursue my intellectual interests with creativity and curiosity. I applied because I am fascinated by the medieval past and its unexpected legacies, and the program at Oxford is unparalleled. In addition to funding and a global network of scholars and friends, I am grateful the scholarship offers the flexibility to pursue research in a variety of fields.
The community has really defined my time at Oxford. As one might expect it is a melting pot of academically-driven, intellectual people who are curious about the past and who question the world we live in. Researching a niche subject area is certainly a way to bring people together, but I feel especially lucky with the friends I’ve made along the way, both on course and through the Ramsay Scholarship. And of course, the libraries are beautiful—I love to study in Duke Humphrey’s Library which dates back to the fifteenth century, and I’ve really enjoyed handling 700-year-old manuscripts in the Weston. Once a week I attend the medieval graduate seminar at All Souls College which always feels special.
My research focuses on the lived experience and ritual lives of soldiers and warhorses in late medieval England. I have just finished the draft of my first chapter which explores the nature of medical and veterinary treatment on the battlefield, and the charms and prayers soldiers might have used to heal wounds and injuries. I’m looking forward to discussing it with supervisors and setting the path forward.
Over the summer I worked with unedited medical manuscripts from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries which was really exciting as not many people have looked at them before. I learnt how to navigate handwritten Middle English scripts and transcribed a variety of everyday remedies and recipes. They were so striking in their ordinariness—hundreds of years were briefly bridged through quotidian things like a remedy for headache or a recipe to roast salmon.
Studying at Oxford is special and is very different to my other academic experiences in much larger cities. The collegiate system allows you to exist in tight-knit circles of research. Physically it’s a small walkable city which means I can zip between the library, seminars, lectures, and evening events in the space of a day. And despite its size, Oxford is incredibly diverse and I’m able to engage with people from all parts of the world.
My time at Oxford has been enriched by the things I do around my studies. I have recently been appointed Junior Dean at Pembroke College. This is a welfare post held by a graduate student and I am part of a larger welfare team that looks after the wellbeing of the student community as well as being a member of the SCR (Senior Common Room). I’m delighted as not only is it a very competitive position, it is a meaningful and rewarding one that I will hold for two years.
I have also been nominated President of the Oxford University Touch Rugby Club. I’m excited as this is a different kind of leadership role where I lead a sporting club, a committee, and a team on the pitch. OUTRC has more than 70 members, many of whom are Australian as the sport originated in Australia, and I’m very proud to represent it. The Club was recently granted Half Blue status which is the second highest sporting award attainable at Oxford. I was honoured to be awarded a Half Blue for the 2023/24 season in June this year, becoming part of the Club’s inaugural Half Blue class.
It is difficult to overstate how valuable the Ramsay community is. I am so thankful I was able to attend the scholarship ceremony in Sydney which allowed me to meet our Ramsay cohort at the start of our journey, and where I met some of my closest friends. It is exciting to see each other now in the UK as we move through our degrees. I especially enjoyed travelling to Cambridge to attend formal dinners at different colleges hosted by the Ramsay Centre where I could catch up with other scholars and explore another unique university city.
As for what’s next? I look forward to completing my studies and then working as an academic and public historian, ensuring the medieval past is made more accessible to a wider audience.
Interested in a Ramsay Postgraduate Scholarship? Our scholarships support outstanding, thoughtful and imaginative young Australian leaders to study at the world’s best overseas universities and are valued at up to AUD$90,000 p.a. For more information go to: https://www.ramsaycentre.org/scholarships-courses/postgraduate-scholarships/
To read more about Celeste van Gent and her cohort of 2023 Ramsay Postgraduate Scholars go to: https://www.ramsaycentre.org/scholarships-courses/postgraduate-scholarships/2023-ramsay-postgraduate-scholars/
Media contact: Sarah Switzer 0407 816 098/ sarah.switzer@ramsaycentre.org
For more information on the Centre please visit our website: www.ramsaycentre.org