Personal profile
Research interests
Specialises in early modern political and religious history, particularly in relation to the history of the English parish church. His current research interests lie in three main areas:
- The English Civil War, with a particular focus on the role played by Bristol and its governors.
- The seventeenth-century Church of England, with a particular focus on parish and administrative histories.
- The history of the University of Bristol and, in particular, historians working at the university in the period from the foundation of the College (1876) to the retirement of Professor Charles M. MacInnes (1957).
Teaching:
John teaches a range of undergraduate units relating to the political, religious, cultural and social history of early modern England and Europe. In 2019/20 he will be teaching the following units:
- Year 3 Reflective: Witchcraft (with Dr William Pooley)
- Year 3 Special Subject: Kingship and Crisis during the Wars of the Roses
- Year 1 Outline: The Early Modern World
- Year 2 Outline: Rethinking History
- Year 2 Option: Fear and Loathing
- Year 2 Option: The Tudor World
In 2019/20, John will be serving as the Admissions Officer in the Department of History and as Deputy Director of Teaching.
External positions
External Examiner, FdA, BA in History, Heritage and Archaeology, Strode College
1 Sept 2016 → 30 Sept 2020
Keywords
- parish
- early modern history
- Church of England
- Somerset
- Bristol
- English Civil War
- religious history
- political history
- seventeenth century
- William Prynne
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Research output
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Review of: Careers and crises in the age of Charles I by David Cressy, Studies in Early Modern Cultural, Political and Social History, Volume 57
Reeks, J. G., 2 Apr 2026, In: Seventeenth Century.Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review (Academic Journal)
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Review of: From the margins to the centre in seventeenth-century England: essays in honour of Bernard Capp, edited by Tim Reinke-Williams and Angela McShane (Studies in Early Modern Cultural, Political and Social History, Volume 54)
Reeks, J. G., 13 Nov 2025, In: Seventeenth Century. p. 963 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review (Academic Journal)
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The post-reformation communion furnishings at St Mary’s, Deerhurst and their context by Trevor Cooper
Reeks, J. G., 18 Jun 2025, In: Seventeenth Century. 40, 4, p. 699-700 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review (Academic Journal)
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Contributor: A Kingdom in Chaos
Reeks, J. G. (Speaker)
2025Activity: Other activity types › Media coverage or participation
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BBC Radio Bristol: Father's Day
Reeks, J. (Speaker)
16 Jun 2019Activity: Other activity types › Media coverage or participation
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Bristol University and its Historians
Reeks, J. (Speaker)
29 Apr 2019Activity: Other activity types › Media coverage or participation