Cat Jarman


Catrine Lie Jarman is a Norwegian archaeologist and television presenter.

Early life and education

Jarman was born in Norway in 1982. She studied at the University of Oslo, graduating with a Master of Philosophy in 2012. Her master's thesis was titled "Identities home and abroad: An isotopic study of Viking Age Norway and the British Isles". She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in archaeology from the University of Bristol in 2017. Her doctoral thesis was titled "Resolving Repton: the nature of the Viking winter camp", and her supervisor was Mark Horton.

Career

After completing her PhD, she was an honorary senior research associate at the University of Bristol until 2020. She continued her work on Viking Repton; including isotopic analyses of the human remains, sequencing ancient DNA from samples, and "reassessing some of the unpublished artefacts".
Her 2021 book River Kings: A new history of the Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Roads was called "an engaging introduction to the study of the Vikings" by the Times Literary Supplement. Her 2023 book The Bone Chests: Unlocking the Secrets of the Anglo-Saxons was called "an enthusiastic guide through England's early medieval past" by History Today.
She was a presenter on some episodes of the ninth and 11th series of the BBC Two television series Digging for Britain.
Jarman presents a history podcast The Rabbit Hole Detectives with Richard Coles and Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, and together they wrote The Rabbit Hole Book, published by Michael Joseph in 2024.

Personal life

Jarman has multiple sclerosis, having been diagnosed in 2016 during her PhD.
Jarman's partner is the 9th Earl Spencer, their relationship having been publicly confirmed in 2024. In October 2024, amidst the Spencers' divorce proceedings, Jarman sued Karen Spencer, Countess Spencer, for allegedly disclosing her multiple sclerosis diagnosis to others, including the Earl.
Respondent filings state that Jarman's husband, Tom Jarman, had volunteered the MS information to Lady Spencer, indicating that it was not a secret. The lawsuit was settled in December 2025, via a Part 36 provision, assigning Jarman £4,500 in damages with "no admission of liability or wrongdoing" by Lady Spencer. Earl Spencer was ordered to pay the legal costs, estimated to be in excess of £2 million, in compliance with the financial arrangements of the Spencers' divorce arbitration.

Selected works

;Articles
;Books
  • The Bone Chests: Unlocking the Secrets of the Anglo-Saxons William Collins 2023
  • The Rabbit Hole Book with Richard Coles and Charles Spencer, Michael Joseph 2024