Patrick Wormald
Encyclopedia
Charles Patrick Wormald was a British
historian born in Neston, Cheshire
, son of historian Brian Wormald.
He attended Eton College
as a King's Scholar
. From 1965 to 1968, he read modern history at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was tutored by Maurice Keen
and farmed out for tutorials with Michael Wallace-Hadrill (at that time a Senior Research Fellow
at Merton College, Oxford) and Peter Brown
(at that time a Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford). Wormald's potential was subsequently recognized by both Merton and All Souls when those Colleges awarded him, respectively, the Harmsworth Senior Scholarship and a seven-year Prize Fellowship.
Wormald taught early medieval history
at the University of Glasgow
from 1974 to 1988, where his lectures drew huge enthusiasm from students. There he also met and married fellow-historian Jenny Brown
. They had two sons, but their marriage was dissolved in 2001. While at Glasgow, he became a participant in the Bucknell Group of early medievalists, hosted by Wendy Davies
- the group taking its name from a village on the Welsh-English border where it often met. He delivered the Jarrow Lecture in 1984.
Following a British Academy
Research Readership (1987-9), Wormald returned to Oxford in 1989 as a College Lecturer at Christ Church
, where he was then appointed a Fellow and University Lecturer from 1990, tutoring students in medieval history. He delivered the Deerhurst Lecture in 1991 and the British Academy's Raleigh Lecture in History in 1995. In 1996 he gave the inaugural Richard Rawlinson Center Congress Lecture at the 31st International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo. His greatest work, which took many years to produce, was The Making of English Law, the first volume of which was published in 1999. Following his early retirement from Christ Church in 2001, he was re-engaged as a Lecturer by the History Faculty at Oxford and entered Wolfson College
. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
in 2003, and that year also delivered the Brixworth Lecture.
In 2009, a collection of essays written by leading scholars in Wormald's honour was published under the title Early Medieval Studies in Memory of Patrick Wormald, edited by Stephen Baxter et al. The book is introduced by articles on Wormald's person and his academic output.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
historian born in Neston, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, son of historian Brian Wormald.
He attended Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
as a King's Scholar
King's Scholar
A King's Scholar is a foundation scholar of one of certain public schools...
. From 1965 to 1968, he read modern history at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was tutored by Maurice Keen
Maurice Keen
Maurice Hugh Keen is a British historian specialising in the Middle Ages. He is an Emeritus Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, where he lectured in Medieval history from 1961-2000.In 1984 he won the Wolfson History Prize for his book Chivalry....
and farmed out for tutorials with Michael Wallace-Hadrill (at that time a Senior Research Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
at Merton College, Oxford) and Peter Brown
Peter Brown (historian)
Peter Robert Lamont Brown is Rollins Professor of History at Princeton University. His principal contributions to the discipline have been in the field of late antiquity and, in particular, the religious culture of the later Roman Empire and early medieval Europe.-Life:Peter Brown was born in...
(at that time a Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford). Wormald's potential was subsequently recognized by both Merton and All Souls when those Colleges awarded him, respectively, the Harmsworth Senior Scholarship and a seven-year Prize Fellowship.
Wormald taught early medieval history
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
from 1974 to 1988, where his lectures drew huge enthusiasm from students. There he also met and married fellow-historian Jenny Brown
Jenny Wormald
Jenny Wormald FRHist S, FSA Scot, FRSA, is a Scottish historian who studies late medieval and early modern Scotland. She taught at the University of Glasgow between 1966 and 1985, and then St Hilda's College, University of Oxford, between 1985 and 2005. She held a variety of other posts in this time...
. They had two sons, but their marriage was dissolved in 2001. While at Glasgow, he became a participant in the Bucknell Group of early medievalists, hosted by Wendy Davies
Wendy Davies
Wendy Elizabeth Davies OBE FBA FSA FRHistS FLSW is an Emeritus Professor of History at University College, London in England.Davies studied for her BA degree and PhD degree in history at UCL. Following positions in Munich and Birmingham, she returned to UCL as a Lecturer in Medieval History...
- the group taking its name from a village on the Welsh-English border where it often met. He delivered the Jarrow Lecture in 1984.
Following a British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
Research Readership (1987-9), Wormald returned to Oxford in 1989 as a College Lecturer at Christ Church
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, where he was then appointed a Fellow and University Lecturer from 1990, tutoring students in medieval history. He delivered the Deerhurst Lecture in 1991 and the British Academy's Raleigh Lecture in History in 1995. In 1996 he gave the inaugural Richard Rawlinson Center Congress Lecture at the 31st International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo. His greatest work, which took many years to produce, was The Making of English Law, the first volume of which was published in 1999. Following his early retirement from Christ Church in 2001, he was re-engaged as a Lecturer by the History Faculty at Oxford and entered Wolfson College
Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with over sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research and junior research fellows. It caters to a wide range of...
. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
in 2003, and that year also delivered the Brixworth Lecture.
In 2009, a collection of essays written by leading scholars in Wormald's honour was published under the title Early Medieval Studies in Memory of Patrick Wormald, edited by Stephen Baxter et al. The book is introduced by articles on Wormald's person and his academic output.
Select bibliography
- 2006, The Times of Bede: Studies in Early English Christian Society and its Historian, ed. Baxter, Stephen.
- 2005, "Kings and kingship" in Fouracre, Paul (ed.), The new Cambridge medieval history: Vol. 1 c.500–c.700.
- 2003, "The Leges Barbarorum : law and ethnicity in the post-Roman West" in Goetz, Jarnut, & Pohl (eds), Regna and gentes : the relationship between late antique and early medieval peoples and kingdoms in the transformation of the Roman world.
- 1999, The making of English law: King Alfred to the twelfth century, vol. 1: Legislation and its limits.
- 1999, Legal culture in the early medieval west: law as text, image and experience.
- 1998, "Frederic William Maitland and the earliest English law" in Law and History Review, 16.
- 1996, "The emergence of the Regnum Scottorum: a Carolingian hegemony" in Crawford, Barbara (ed.), Scotland in dark age Britain.
- 1993, How do we know so much about Anglo-Saxon Deerhurst?
- 1986, "Celtic and Anglo-Saxon kingship : Some Further Thoughts" in Szarmach, Paul E. & Oggins, Virginia D. (eds), Sources of Anglo-Saxon culture.
- 1983, with Bullough, Donald & Collins, Roger (eds), Ideal and reality in Frankish and Anglo-Saxon Society: studies presented to John Michael Wallace-Hadrill.
- 1982, "The Age of Bede and Æthelbald", "The age of Offa and Alcuin", & "The Ninth Century" in Campbell, James (ed.), The Anglo-Saxons.
- 1978, "Æthelred the lawmaker" in Hill, David (ed.), Ethelred the Unready : papers from the millenary conference.
- 1977, "Lex scripta and verbum regis: legislation and Germanic kingship from Euric to Cnut" in Sawyer, P.H. & Wood, Ian N. (eds), Early medieval kingship.
- 1976, "The Decline of the Western Empire and the Survival of its Aristocracy", Journal of Roman Studies 66.