Tom Leng

Dr Tom Leng is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Sheffield, affiliated with the School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities. He holds both his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield, with prior teaching experience at the University of Nottingham and involvement in projects at the Humanities Research Institute (HRI). His research focuses on early modern English commerce, merchant communities, and the intellectual underpinnings of free trade advocacy in the seventeenth century. Leng’s work has explored figures like Benjamin Worsley and the Merchant Adventurers of England, examining their roles in shaping commercial and political landscapes.

His publications include a monograph on Benjamin Worsley (2008) and a later work on the Merchant Adventurers (2020). Current research interests involve broader mercantile culture in early modern England. Leng teaches undergraduate courses on seventeenth-century trade and empire and postgraduate modules on early modernities and palaeography. He advises doctoral students on topics ranging from Elizabethan military discourse to religious jurisdiction in Parliament.

His academic contributions also include chapters on early modern entrepreneurship and wealth distribution, as well as book reviews on topics like revolutionary political economy and demographic thought. Leng’s work bridges economic, social, and political history, emphasizing the intersection of commerce and power in early modern England.