Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon
Sarah Jane is a lecturer in Archaeology and Project Officer with ORCA.
Sarah Jane is a part time lecturer in the Archaeology Institute having been teaching archaeology in the UHI since 2008. Her current research interests are Christianity, maritime pilgrimage and early modern trade in the North Atlantic region, with particular focus on landscapes of belief in the Northern Isles and the North of Scotland.
Being brought up in a family steeped in stories of Orkney’s folklore, history, archaeology and culture inspired Sarah Jane to pursue a career in archaeology and history. She completed a joint undergraduate degree in History and Archaeology at Glasgow University in 1998, after which she continued her studies there, completing a research masters on the topic of ‘Norse Castles in Orkney’ in 1999.
In 2006 she was awarded a PhD in Archaeology on the topic of parish formation in the Orkney Earldom from the University of the Highlands and Islands/Open University. As well as lecturing in Culture Studies and Archaeology at the UHI, she occasionally work as a specialist tour guide, an archive assistant in the Orkney Archive, has a research and consultancy business and is a singer/songwriter and partner in Sing Orkney.
Research interests
- Medieval and later Orkney in its North Atlantic context, particularly the development and mapping of landscapes, including the lifecycles of townships and parishes, ecclesiastical, secular, lordly and judicial landscapes, memorialisation and veneration.
- Historiography of Orkney, and the impact of antiquarian scholarship on subsequent perceptions of heritage and history etc., as well as its more general contribution to Orkney’s past.
- History of traditional song culture as social history.
Current/Recent Projects
- Co-director, Landscapes of Change: Archaeologies of the Rousay Clearances and the Westness Estate.
- PI, Looking in from the Edge: The impact of international commercialisation on north-west Europe’s peripheral communities 1468-1712: production, commerce and consumption in Orkney and Shetland. https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/projects/looking-in-from-the-edge-lifte-the-impact-of-international-commer/ and https://archaeologyorkney.com/lifte/
- Is the Wirk a Castle? http://www.castlestudiestrust.org/The-Wirk.html and http://castlestudiestrust.org/blog/2020/09/08/is-the-the-wirk-a-castle-archaeological-investigations-in-rousay-orkney/
- Identifying Orkney’s Medieval Landscapes. https://archaeologyorkney.com/2019/04/05/orca-archaeology-secure-funding-for-an-important-new-project/
- Maritime Pilgrimage in the North Atlantic, particularly the Cult of St Magnus.
Academic responsibilities
Part of the Teaching Team in the Archaeology Institute, Sarah Jane’s contributions include teaching on the following modules:
- Archaeological Project (SCQF 9)
- Archaeology of the Highlands and Islands (SCQF 11)
- Dissertation Archaeology (SCQF 10)
- Dissertation (Archaeological Practice) (SCQF 11)
- Early Medieval Archaeology of Scotland (SCQF 11) module leader
- Historical Archaeology of the Highlands and Islands (SCQF 9) module leader
- Research and Communication Skills (SCQF 11)
- Scottish Historical Archaeology (SCQF 11) module Leader.
She also supervises UG and taught PG research projects and has Research Masters and PhD students
External responsibilities and memberships
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
- Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
- Member of The Society for Medieval Archaeology.
- Member of The Scottish Society for Northern Studies.
- Member of Medieval Settlement Research Group.
- Member of the Mapping the Historic Parishes of Scotland Research Group.
- Member of Scottish Church History Society.
- Member of Scottish Place-name Society.
Recent publications
Moore, J. & Gibbon S.J. (2021) They are preserved forever: Visualising the Memorialisation of Archipelagic Religious and Community Identities. Religions 12, np. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/11/999
Gibbon, S.J. & Moore, J. (2019) Storyways: visualising saintly impact in a North Atlantic Maritime Landscape. Open Archaeology 5, 235-262. Doi:10.1515/opar-2019-0016
Gibbon, S.J. (2018) With a good boat under me: St Magnus and the Ladykirk Stone. New Orkney Antiquarian Journal 8, 17-23
Lee, D.H.J. & Gibbon S.J. (2018) Mapping Magnus. Research Training and Community. Orkney Archaeology Review 3, 65-78
Gibbon, S.J. (2017) A Survey of Norse Castles in Orkney. In P. Martin (ed) Castles and Galleys: A reassessment of the historic galley castles of the Norse-Gaelic seaways. Islands Book Trust: Laxay, 226-248
Barrett, J.H. & Gibbon, S.J. (eds) (2015) Maritime Societies of the Viking and Medieval World, Society for Medieval Archaeology Monograph 37, Maney Publishing, Leeds
Gibbon, S.J. & Irvine, J. (eds) (2014) New Orkney Antiquarian Journal Volume 7 Special Edition: John Rae 200 Conference Proceedings, Orkney Heritage Society
Downes, J. & Gibson, J. with Gibbon, S. J. and Mitchell, A. (2013) Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site Research Strategy 2013-2018, Historic Scotland
Gibbon, S. J. (2012) The Church in the Orkney Earldom. In H. Þorláksson and Þ.B. Sigurðardóttir (eds) From Nature to Script Reykholt, Environment, Centre, and Manuscript Making, Snorrastofa, Reykholt, 165-184
Gibbon, S.J. (2012) Orkney’s Things. In O. Owen (ed) Things in the Viking World, Shetland Amenity Trust, Lerwick, 80-93
Gibbon, S.J. (2012) Voices in Chorus songs and their stories from The Big Orkney Song Project, Northings Publications, Kirkwall
Gibbon, S.J. (2011) The New Year Song: A biography. New Orkney Antiquarian Journal 5, 33-35
Contact
T: 01856 569328
Academia: https://uhi.academia.edu/SarahJaneGibbon