Nora Kershaw Chadwick
Encyclopedia
Nora Kershaw Chadwick CBE
, was a noted medievalist.
in 1891. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Cambridge
and lectured at St Andrews
during World War I
. She returned to Cambridge in 1919 to study Anglo-Saxon
and Old Norse under Professor Hector Munro Chadwick
. They were married in 1922. The Chadwicks turned their home into a literary salon
, a tradition which Chadwick maintained after the death of her husband in 1947. Most of her life was spent on research, mainly into the Celts. Chadwick received honorary degrees from the University of Wales
, the National University of Ireland
and the University of St Andrews, and she was a respected scholar in her own right. She was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire
in 1961.
She also wrote The Beginnings of Russian History, an enquiry into sources (1946).
A list of the publications of Hector and Nora Chadwick was printed for her 80th birthday in 1971.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, was a noted medievalist.
Background
Chadwick was born in LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
in 1891. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and lectured at St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. She returned to Cambridge in 1919 to study Anglo-Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
and Old Norse under Professor Hector Munro Chadwick
Hector Munro Chadwick
Hector Munro Chadwick was an English philologist and historian, professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Cambridge . He helped develop an integral approach to Old English studies. With his wife, Nora Kershaw Chadwick, he compiled a multi-volume survey of oral traditions and oral poetry,...
. They were married in 1922. The Chadwicks turned their home into a literary salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
, a tradition which Chadwick maintained after the death of her husband in 1947. Most of her life was spent on research, mainly into the Celts. Chadwick received honorary degrees from the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
, the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
and the University of St Andrews, and she was a respected scholar in her own right. She was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1961.
Scholarship
- The Growth of Literature was published in 1932. She published a series on Russian literature:
-
- I: The Ancient Literatures of Europe (1932)
- II: Russian Oral Literature, Yugoslav Oral Poetry, Early Indian Literature, Early Hebrew Literature (1936)
- III: The Oral Literature of the Tatars and Polynesia, etc. (1940)
She also wrote The Beginnings of Russian History, an enquiry into sources (1946).
- Chadwick collaborated with V. M. ZhirmunskyViktor ZhirmunskyViktor Maksimovich Zhirmunsky was a Russian literary historian and linguist...
on a revision of the part of volume III that deals with epic poetry in Central Asian languages. The revised text was published separately in 1969 as Oral Epics of Central Asia.
- In 1955 she wrote Poetry and Letters in early Christian Gaul.
- Chadwick wrote about Celtic Britain and Breton history, and collaborated with Myles DillonMyles DillonMyles Dillon was an Irish historian, philologist and celticist.Myles Dillon was born in Dublin; he was one of six children of John Dillon and his wife Elizabeth Mathew; James Matthew Dillon, the leader of Fine Gael, was his younger brother.Myles Dillon graduated from University College Dublin,...
and Kenneth H. JacksonKenneth H. JacksonKenneth Hurlstone Jackson was an English linguist and a translator who specialised in the Celtic languages. He demonstrated how the text of the Ulster Cycle of tales, written circa AD 1100, preserves an oral tradition originating some six centuries earlier and reflects Celtic Irish society of the...
.
- In 1949 she wrote Early Scotland.
- In 1954 she published Studies in Early British History.
- In 1963 she wrote Celtic Britain (ancient people and places).
- In 1964 she wrote The Age of Saints in the Celtic Church.
- In 1965 she published The colonization of Brittany from Celtic Britain.
- in 1966 she wrote The Druids
- In 1967 she wrote Celtic Realms with Myles Dillon.
- In 1970 she wrote The Celts with an introductory chapter by Dr. J.X.W.P.Corcoran: The Origins of the Celts: The Archaeological Evidence.
- Nora Chadwick also wrote about the Anglo-Saxon language:
- In 1955 she published The Study of Anglo-Saxon with her husband.
- Chadwick is also well known for her famous essay, "The Monsters and BeowulfBeowulfBeowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
" in which she argues that Grendel's motherGrendel's motherGrendel's mother is one of three antagonists in the work of Old English literature of anonymous authorship, Beowulf . She is never given a name in the text....
might have been a goddessGoddessA goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
from Norse mythologyNorse mythologyNorse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
, possibly the myth of the ValkyrieValkyrieIn Norse mythology, a valkyrie is one of a host of female figures who decides who dies in battle. Selecting among half of those who die in battle , the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin...
s.
A list of the publications of Hector and Nora Chadwick was printed for her 80th birthday in 1971.