David Barrie

David Barrie is an Associate Professor of History at The University of Western Australia, specializing in 18th- and 19th-century British and Scottish history, with a focus on crime, policing, punishment, and marriage. He leads the Palgrave Histories of Policing, Punishment and Justice book series. His research has been funded by grants totaling $430,000 from bodies like the Australian Research Council and the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council.

Research interests include criminal justice history, urban governance in Scotland, media representations of policing, and marriage law. Key projects include studies on Enlightenment Scotland’s legal culture and the socio-legal dimensions of marriage with a deceased wife’s sister. His work has won two Frank Watson Prizes for Scottish history.

• Teaching: Undergraduate units on modern world history, British history, and crime/punishment studies.
• Grants:
  • $155,000 (2013–2015): ARC-funded study on Enlightenment Scotland’s prosecution and punishment.
  • £62,724 (2006–2007): UK ESRC grant for research on Scottish police development.
• Supervision: Current PhD candidates include Kelly-Ann Couzens (medical testimony in Scottish courts) and Paul Nuckley (Devil representations in early modern Britain).

Future research explores media narratives of policing and judicial practices, and the historical intersections of marriage and legal norms.