Wednesday, 21 October 2026
A 糖心原创 legal historian has been awarded a prestigious £100,000 Philip Leverhulme Prize for her research into medieval law and legal reasoning.
Dr Sarah White, Assistant Professor in the University’s School of Law, is one of the recipients of the 2026 prizes, awarded by the Leverhulme Trust to recognise outstanding researchers at an early stage of their careers whose work has had international impact and shows exceptional promise for the future.
Her research explores legal reasoning, disputes and wills in 12th- and 13th-century England. Drawing on extensive archival research, she has examined how medieval lawyers and litigants constructed arguments, interpreted procedural rules and navigated uncertainty when resolving disputes.
I am delighted and grateful to receive this recognition from the Leverhulme Trust. The prize is especially meaningful for the History of Law and Governance Centre at Nottingham, highlighting the importance of legal history here and the collaborative research community we are building."
“The prize will support my new project on medieval wills, which will offer a historical perspective on questions of capacity and consent that remain central to probate law today.”
Dr White’s studies of court records and legal treatises reveal how legal reasoning developed through the interaction of learned law and the practical demands of litigation. Her work also highlights connections between English legal practice and the legal traditions of continental Europe.
Her current research focuses on medieval wills, exploring how people prepared for death, provided for others and sought to determine how their property would be distributed after death. It reveals the important role of ecclesiastical law and church courts in the development of property law, showing how ideas about intention, obligation and control over property evolved through the interaction of individual wishes, legal rules and social expectations.
The 2026 winners were selected from more than 350 nominations. Five prizes were awarded in each of six subject areas: Biological Sciences, History, Law, Mathematics and Statistics, Philosophy and Theology, and Sociology and Social Policy.
Professor Anna Vignoles, Director of the Leverhulme Trust, said: “This year marks the 25th year of the Philip Leverhulme Prizes. For a quarter of a century, this scheme has attracted extraordinarily high-calibre researchers, and selecting only thirty winners is always challenging. We are immensely grateful to the reviewers and panel members who help us in our decision making, and we are extremely proud to support these researchers through the next stage of their careers.”
The £100,000 prize can be used over two to three years to support Dr White’s research into medieval wills and the historical foundations of legal questions that remain relevant today.
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More information is available from Dr Sarah White in the School of Law, via sarah.white2@nottingham.ac.uk
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