Research Proposal

In completing a Master’s degree, research work often culminates as a very personal endeavour.

After all, graduate students dedicate a significant portion of their lives towards one specific area of focus. Subsequently, many grad students begin viewing their research as an extension of themselves. It is very likely that this phase of a student’s academic journey will have a lifelong imprint.

For Master of Art History student, Meghan McCarthy, her research site holds an added bit of sentimental value. This past spring, McCarthy’s boyfriend proposed to her on their visit to the subject of her Research Essay – Hedingham Castle. 

Fast-forward a few months and McCarthy is now an engaged graduate of Carleton’s Master’s in Art History.

All of this began in 2010 when McCarthy made the decision to return to University after a self-imposed two-year hiatus from academics. Upon completion of her undergrad degree from Western (a Double Honours Major in Art History and Psychology), McCarthy began working as a bartender. It was a nice position for a time; however, after a couple of years, she missed the rigors and trials of life as a university student.  

“I missed using my brain and I missed art history,” said McCarthy. “So, I applied to Carleton’s Masters of Art History program and enrolled in a few courses at Western to boost my average and get recent references. One of those courses was a Romanesque and Gothic course. This is when I fell in love with the Middle Ages.”

Soon after, McCarthy entered the MA Art History program at Carleton.

In her second year enrolled in a Directed Reading with Professor Peter Coffman, McCarthy discovered which subject she wanted to research – English medieval castles. This was one of the many decisions Coffman helped McCarthy make.  Through her entire MA, Coffman functioned as a steadying force for McCarthy.

“Professor Coffman really made my MA experience the amazing journey that it was. He is a perfect example of how a supervisor can help facilitate a positive and rewarding student experience. Professor Coffman is one of the major reasons I chose Carleton based on his expertise in medieval architecture in the first place, and played a tremendous role in my success. The entire department was always so helpful and supportive.”

Coffman introduced McCarthy to distinguished Art History scholar and Anglo-Norman castle expertMalcolm Thurlby. Thurlby teaches at Toronto’s York University, but in a fortunate turn of events for McCarthy’s research, Thurlby accepted a position as Adjunct Professor at Carleton University in 2012.

McCarthy knew she wanted to learn more about the architecture of English medieval castles, but was uncertain about the specific site she should study. After much contemplation, McCarthy made the decision to explore one of Thurlby’s suggestions – the well-preserved, largely unstudied Hedingham Castle of Essex, England. Having Thurlby as a newfound and proximal resource helped her decide to focus her directed reading paper on the protuberant Anglo-Norman great tower, built in approximately 1140.

In one of the many meetings between Thurlby and McCarthy, Thurlby recommended that she take a visit to Essex to view and study Hedingham in person. As odd as it might sound, this concept had never occurred to McCarthy. Although it seemed like a fantastic opportunity, McCarthy was initially unsure of how she could budget this sort of ambitious peregrination. Thankfully, she had a great team in her corner.

“Malcolm and Peter were my best possible cheerleaders,” explains McCarthy. “Malcolm talked to Dean Osborne (a fellow medievalist) about the potential funding situation, and talked to Peter about switching from the Course Work masters stream to the Research Essay stream so that I could apply for funding and continue my research in the winter term.”

In her Directed Reading paper, McCarthy had been asking important questions about Hedingham, and had already proven her contributions to an unjustifiably parched area of study. There had also been a recently released scholarly article on Hedingham with which she disagreed. With all this in mind, Coffman and the department approved her stream switch.

Soon after, McCarthy applied for funding to go to England, and was successful.

“I was very lucky with how much funding I got – nearly my entire trip was covered! Incredible!”

McCarthy asked her boyfriend, Andrew Paterson, if he wanted to accompany her across the pond, to which she received an enthusiastic, “Yes!”

Paterson is a captain in the military. He served as a platoon commander in Afghanistan, has received a Mention in Dispatches for his work there, and has been working in a reserve unit since returning to Canada. He has recently made the decision to leave the military to begin law school in the fall. 

Paterson had heard so much about Hedingham Castle, and was excited to see it. But more than that, the trip offered him the sublime opportunity to ask the most important question of his life. 

Without realizing the impact her research trip would have on her, McCarthy, along with Paterson, packed their bags and left for England in March of 2013.

McCarthy organized her trip so she could study a variety of Anglo-Norman castles other than Hedingham, including Colchester, Framlingham, Orford, Rochester, Castle Rising, and Norwich.

When they first arrived at Hedingham, McCarthy was relieved to learn how supportive and facilitating the castle’s staff was. She didn’t know it at the time, but this was an even greater relief to Paterson! 

The couple spent two days scrutinizing and photographing as much of Hedingham as possible; a dream come true for McCarthy.

A considerable portion of McCarthy’s research revolved around trying to interpret Hedingham’s original interior layout/function. To do this, McCarthy knew that it was necessary to scale the castle’s very high roof; one that is not open to tourists and has no railing to keep you from falling off the edge.

The prospect of walking on the roof was frightening, but was a task McCarthy deemed compulsory. On their own, McCarthy and Andrew gained permission and access to the roof through one of the remaining corner turrets.

The risk was one that paid instant dividends. The high vantage point gave the couple a gorgeous view of the English countryside in every direction.  Naturally, McCarthy vigorously began snapping photos. With her face glued to her camera as she staggered haphazardly to capture as many images as she could, McCarthy asked Paterson if they could get a photo of the two of them on the rooftop. The moment that McCarthy turned around, she realized her life was about to change.

“He got down on one knee and said something akin to (I can’t remember the words exactly), ‘for sure we can, but first: Meg, will you marry me?’ As he said it, Paterson had taken a small black box out of his pocket. And as he kneeled, he opened the box…to show me a beautiful diamond ring. The ring that he proposed with was the ring that his grandfather proposed to his grandmother with 70 years ago exactly, in England.”

Having been so submerged in her research trip, McCarthy was completely surprised by the proposal. It was not until Andrew was down on one knee that it hit her that they could not have been placed in a more romantic setting.  

“I was overwhelmed and so thrilled! I had known I wanted to marry him for a while. I said yes instantly. It was the happiest, most perfect moment of my life.”

Having now graduated, and months into her engagement, McCarthy looks back on her previous year with absolute astonishment.

“At the beginning of the school year in September 2012, I would never have dreamed that I would be going to England to study a medieval castle – let alone come back engaged.”

What’s next for McCarthy? Based on her love of teaching and TAing, she is currently contemplating a PhD in Art History. In the meantime, she has just accepted a position in the Senate of Canada to work with a team to research and catalogue the art and artifacts of Canada’s Gothic Parliament Buildings.