Copyright © 2010 The Historical Association: Swansea Branch


* Member of the branch’s Local History sub-

Dr John Law (Chairman) studied at the universities of St Andrews and Oxford, and in 1971 became a lecturer at Swansea University. He has been a member of the Council of the Society for Renaissance Studies for over twenty years, and was a founding member of its Welsh branch; he was editor of Renaissance Studies between 1997 and 2007. Dr Law became a corresponding member of the Deputazione Veneta di Storia Patria in 1981, and in 1985 was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of a number of published works dealing with medieval Italian history.

Dr Claire Vivian (General Secretary and Membership Secretary) is a History graduate
of Swansea University. Her research is focused on the Early Modern period (c.1500–1800)
and she has a particular interest in seventeenth-

Colin Wheldon James* (Vice-

Peter Richards (Treasurer) studied Dental Surgery at Cardiff University, qualifying in 1981. For many years he practiced dentistry in the Dulais Valley, owning two practices. Peter now runs the family farm in Alltwen, near Swansea, and has always had a keen interest in history. He is a mature student studying for an MA in Maritime and Imperial History at Swansea University. His interest is in the mercantile marine, especially with regard to sailing ships, and in particular, the East India Company. He is currently writing a dissertation on voyaging in East Indiamen between 1750 and 1833.