About Tom
Dr Tom Dobson is a Social Historian whose current research focuses on links between Methodism and The State. His 2024 PhD (People, Place and Policy. Westminster College and the Development of Methodist Teacher Training) explored the links between Methodism, public policy, and teacher training. It focused heavily on Westminster College, the Methodist teacher training institution which relocated to Oxford in 1959.
The College’s heritage remains a research area for Tom, along with focusing on ways to increase links between local Methodists and the denomination’s history; the use of digital platforms to make it easier to explore this heritage; and new education tools to support work of local
churches. He is also currently researching links between Methodism and The State; the impact of warfare on Wesleyan teacher training; and
memorials to conflict found throughout Oxfordshire. Tom is also a volunteer with The Scouts; the Membership Secretary for the Oxfordshire Record Society; and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He was appointed an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2025.
Westminster Oxford Research Network 