Professor Adrian Bell
Research Dean, Prosperity and Resilience
Chair in the History of Finance

Specialisms
- History of Finance,
- Football Finance
Location
Adrian is Chair in the History of Finance and Research Dean, Prosperity and Resilience.
Adrian is currently leading the major AHRC funded project ‘The People of 1381’ an innovative new research project set to produce the most comprehensive interpretation of the Peasants' Revolt to date. To follow its progress visit 1381.online.
He is interested in the History of Finance and recently completed a major project funded by the Leverhulme Trust with Professor Chris Brooks and Dr Helen Killick. The project “The first real estate bubble: Land Prices and Rents in Medieval England c. 1200-1550” ran for three years from 2015. The project builds upon a previous project for Leverhume with Professor Chris Brooks and Dr Tony Moore on medieval foreign exchange. A major project for the ESRC with the same team investigated the early and innovative use of credit finance by a succession of English medieval monarchs (10.5255/UKDA-SN-6880-1) and an earlier ESRC project investigated advance contracts for the supply of wool (10.5255/UKDA-SN-5325-1).
Professor Bell also specialises in the Hundred Years War and his book, War and the Soldier in the Fourteenth Century, was published by Boydell and Brewer in Autumn 2004. In 2006 he was awarded a major grant from the AHRC (jointly with Professor Anne Curry, University of Southampton) to investigate “The Soldier in Later Medieval England” for more details see medievalsoldier.org. The findings are outlined in a major work The Soldier in Later Medieval England, published by Oxford University Press (2013).
Adrian has also appeared on The Unexpected World of Business podcast to discuss football finance.
His working papers are available on SSRN at: http://ssrn.com/author=486048
Professor Bell frequently provides expert comment for media opportunities. Longer articles and blogs are featured in the media section below.
Recent comments and articles on COVID-19 include:
- Government passing blame for isolation impact to public
- Financial impacts of pandemic need more emphasis
- “Furlough Scheme being used as state-sponsored redundancy”
- “Euro 2020 should be postponed”
- Premiership salary decision needs to be grounded in the real world
- "Footballers must take the lead of salary cuts"
Fighting merchants
Professor Adrian Bell, Sam GibbsThe soldier in later Medieval England : an online database
Professor Adrian Bell, Anne Curry, Adam Chapman, Andy King, David SimpkinThe soldier in later medieval England
Professor Adrian Bell, A. Curry, A. King, David SimpkinThe Medieval pilgrimage business
Professor Adrian Bell, Richard Steele DaleLanguages in the military profession in later Medieval England
Professor Adrian Bell, Anne Curry, Adam Chapman, Andy King, David SimpkinNew regime, new army? Henry IV's Scottish expedition of 1400
Professor Adrian Bell, A. Curry, A. King, David SimpkinThe English wool market, c.1230-1327
Professor Adrian Bell, Professor Chris Brooks, Paul R. DryburghMost recent news & media
Older news & media
Specialisms
- History of Finance
- Football Finance