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Wordsworth Summer Conference 2026

Monday 3 August - Thursday 13 August

The 2026 Wordsworth Summer Conference at elegant Rydal Hall will be the 55th since Richard Wordsworth’s inaugural conference gathering in 1970. This year we continue the format pioneered by Richard, mingling lectures, papers and lively academic debate with fell walking, picturesque rambles, and bus excursions to places of Wordsworthian and Romantic interest. Upper and Lower Rydal Falls are within the grounds of the Hall, and Rydal Mount—Wordsworth’s home from 1813 until 1850—is a two-minute walk away. 

By courtesy of the Wordsworth Trust, our opening night will include a candlelight visit to Dove Cottage. There will be a separate opportunity to explore the treasures of the Wordsworth Trust’s collections. As in 2025, we will aim to continue our local focus for walks, climbs and excursions.  

The conference is in two parts, of five nights each.

Participate in either 5 days or the full 10 day conference.

Rambles (talks) & Rambles (walks): Fell walks, Bus excursions, Local Walks,

Keynote Lectures, and Conference Papers.

Proposal Deadline: 15 May 2026

Registration Deadline: 15 June 2026

Proposals
 

2026 marks the centenary of Ernest de Selincourt’s publication of the parallel texts of the 1805 and 1850 Prelude, a landmark volume that shaped Wordsworth studies during the twentieth century and continues to do so today. 2026 is also 150 years since the publication of Wordsworth's Prose Works of William Wordsworth, a three-volume set edited by the Scottish scholar A. B. Grosart. In view of these Wordsworth anniversaries, we invite papers that will explore ‘Wordsworth Texts’ broadly considered, to embrace the poet’s manuscript and printed texts in verse and prose, versions and editions up to the present. Papers may consider texts produced by the wider Wordsworth family (e.g. Mary Wordsworth, Dorothy Wordsworth, Dora Wordsworth, Edward Quillinan) as well as critical, biographical, scholarly, and editorial commentaries from Wordsworth’s time up to the present.

In addition to these topics, we also welcome proposals on any aspect of Wordsworth and his circle, and the Romantic period more broadly, including its influences and legacies.

Papers should not be longer than 2750 words. 

Please note that participants presenting papers must attend as full participants for either all of Part 1 or all of Part 2, or the whole ten-day conference. 

Proposal Deadline: 15 May 2026

To be sent to: proposal.wsc@gmail.com

200-word proposals for papers of no more than 2750 words, together with a brief autobiographical

paragraph, unformatted, should occupy no more than 1 side of A4 in MS Word format. Please remember to include your name, institution and e-mail address on the abstract. Please do not send proposals as a PDF file as they will be copied into a composite MS Word document.

Format and Costs

The Conference is in two parts of 5 days each, with a changeover day on Saturday 8 August when those participating in both parts of the conference enjoy an all-day fell walk or excursion. The registration fee for residents, which includes excursions, offers exceptional value at £280 for five days and £400 for ten days  (£252 and £360 for Foundation Members/Friends). All resident participants will take all meals at Rydal Hall.

Details of resident and non-resident rates can be found on the prices page here.

Please note that we will add a £10 surcharge for all accommodation payments made via PayPal.

Bursaries

Nine Bursaries of £450 are available for the 2026 conference:

4 Richard Wordsworth Bursaries for Postgraduate or Postdoctoral applicants working in English or Anglo-American Romanticism.

4 Ena Wordsworth Bursaries for Postgraduate or Postdoctoral applicants working on William or Dorothy Wordsworth or in the Field of English Romanticism.

We are delighted also to offer 1 Marilyn Gaull Bursary of £450, generously sponsored by the Wordsworth-Coleridge Association of America. 

These bursaries are intended to enable young scholars to enjoy either half (five days) of the conference, or the full ten days for about half the cost of the event. Please bring this announcement to the attention of qualifying applicants.  Holders of bursaries will be so designated on the list of participants or the conference programme. The bursary will be applied to the cost of accommodation at Rydal Hall, and the registration fee for bursars is reduced to £100. For more information, please visit our prices page here.

Bursary applicants:

Your application should be in the form of a Word attachment (not PDF) containing a paper proposal of 300 words, together with a short unformatted CV in the same file, the entire application being not more than two sides of A4 (the file will be copied and pasted into a composite file, so please avoid elaborate formatting). Applicants should also arrange for a short message of academic recommendation to be sent  independently to the same email address (proposal.wsc@gmail.com) verifying the applicant’s academic status and country of residence. Candidates need not specify which bursary they are applying for. They will automatically be considered for any bursary for which they are eligible. Please be sure to identify your application as a ‘Bursary Application’ in the subject of the email.

All proposals for papers, bursary applications (and references, if applicable) should be emailed by 15 May 2026 to 

proposal.wsc@gmail.com

Accommodation

Full Board for all is available at Rydal Hall Diocesan Conference Centre at prices ranging from £590 for a shared standard room for 5 nights to a maximum of £1490 for a front single occupancy for 10 nights. These figures replace any previously issued for WSC 2025. 

All accommodation for bursary holders will be in either the Cottages or Bunkhouse. The Cottage rooms will be reserved for those Bursary students staying the full ten days. Bursary awards also entail a requirement to attend all academic events on the programme. By applying for a bursary you indicate your acceptance of these requirements. 

If you have any questions regarding proposals, bursaries, registration, or accommodation, please email

wordsworthsummerconference@gmail.com