Raymond Carr
Encyclopedia
Sir Albert Raymond Maillard Carr FBA
FRHS
FRSL
(born 11 April 1919), known as Raymond Carr, is an English
historian
specializing in the history of Spain
, Latin America
, and Sweden
who was Warden of St Antony's College, Oxford
, from 1968 to 1987.
, the son of Reginald Henry Maillard Carr and Marion Maillard Carr, he was educated at Brockenhurst School and Christ Church, Oxford
, where he was elected Gladstone Research Exhibitioner in 1941.
, 1946–1953. He was next a Fellow of New College
, 1953–1964, then Director of Oxford's Latin American Centre, 1964–1968 and the University's Professor of the History of Latin America, 1967–68.
He became a Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford, in 1964, Sub-Warden of the college in 1966 and Warden in 1968, a position he held until his retirement in 1987. After his retirement from Oxford, he was King Juan Carlos Professor of Spanish History at New York University
in 1992.
Carr's successor as Warden of St Antony's, Ralf Dahrendorf
, has described Carr's tenure of the post as the College's 'Fiesta days'.
As a historian and Hispanist
, Carr's main interest lies in the vicissitudes of 19th and 20th century Spain
, and he is also a specialist in Latin American and Swedish history. In the words of Sir John Elliott
, " his book on Spain between 1808 and 1939 is basic to a better understanding of the era, and the later generation of historians, both within Spain and abroad, have followed up the leads that Carr gives in his book to great benefit."
His Modern Spain, 1875-1980 was called by the Times Literary Supplement "a turning point in Spanish historiography - nothing comparable in scope, profundity, or perceptiveness exists."
At St Antony's, he established an Iberian Centre, of which he was co-director with Joaquin Romero Maura. Paul Preston
wrote in 1984 of their collaboration "Between them, Carr and Romero Maura instilled an intellectual rigour into modern Spanish historiography which had previously been conspicuously lacking." Carr also wrote an extensive foreword to the 1993 edition of The Spanish Labyrinth
by Gerald Brenan
.
A Fellow of the British Academy
since 1978, in 1983 he was awarded the Order of Alfonso X el Sabio by King Juan Carlos of Spain and in 1999 the Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences
.
He is considered, together with Angus Mackay
and Sir John Huxtable Elliott
, a major figure in developing Spanish historiography.
Carr wrote for The Spectator
in 2007 - "I am old-fashioned and aged enough to believe that the best history is the work of the lone individual."
His recreation is fox hunting
, about which he has written two books, English Fox Hunting: A History (1976), a comprehensive history of fox-hunting from medieval times, and, with his wife Sara Carr, Fox-Hunting (1982).
Carr has also written many book reviews for journals, including the New York Review of Books and The Spectator
.
, and one of her great-grandfathers was Percy Wyndham
(1835–1911), a Conservative
politician who was one of The Souls
. The Carrs have three sons and one daughter, Adam Henry Maillard Carr (born 1951), Matthew Xavier Maillard Carr (born 1953), Laura Selina Madeline Carr (born 1954), and Alexander Rallion Charles Carr (born 1958). Their son Adam married Angela P. Barry in 1988, and their daughter Rose Angelica Mary Carr was born in 1991. Matthew, a portrait artist, married Lady Anne Mary Somerset
in 1988, and their daughter Eleanor Carr was born in 1992. Laura Carr married Richard E. Barrowclough in 1978 and has four children, Milo Edmond, Conrad Oliver, Theodore Charles, and Sibell Augusta.
and Oxford and Cambridge
; sometime Senior Member of the Bullingdon
.
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...
FRHS
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
FRSL
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
(born 11 April 1919), known as Raymond Carr, is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
specializing in the history of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
who was Warden of St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.St Antony's is the most international of the seven all-graduate colleges of the University of Oxford, specialising in international relations, economics, politics, and history of particular parts of the...
, from 1968 to 1987.
Early life
Born at Bath, SomersetSomerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, the son of Reginald Henry Maillard Carr and Marion Maillard Carr, he was educated at Brockenhurst School and Christ Church, Oxford
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 elected Gladstone Research Exhibitioner in 1941.
Career
Carr was briefly a lecturer at University College, London, in 1945–1946, before returning to Oxford as a Fellow of All Souls CollegeAll Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
, 1946–1953. He was next a Fellow of New College
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, 1953–1964, then Director of Oxford's Latin American Centre, 1964–1968 and the University's Professor of the History of Latin America, 1967–68.
He became a Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford, in 1964, Sub-Warden of the college in 1966 and Warden in 1968, a position he held until his retirement in 1987. After his retirement from Oxford, he was King Juan Carlos Professor of Spanish History at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1992.
Carr's successor as Warden of St Antony's, Ralf Dahrendorf
Ralf Dahrendorf
Ralf Gustav Dahrendorf, Baron Dahrendorf, KBE, FBA was a German-British sociologist, philosopher, political scientist and liberal politician....
, has described Carr's tenure of the post as the College's 'Fiesta days'.
As a historian and Hispanist
Hispanist
A Hispanist is a scholar specialising in Hispanic studies, that is Spanish or Portuguese language, literature, linguistics, or civilization, and by extension, Basque, Catalan and Galician....
, Carr's main interest lies in the vicissitudes of 19th and 20th century Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and he is also a specialist in Latin American and Swedish history. In the words of Sir John Elliott
John Huxtable Elliott
Sir John Huxtable Elliott, FBA , who normally publishes as J.H. Elliott, is an eminent historian, Regius Professor Emeritus in the University of Oxford and Honorary Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford and Trinity College, Cambridge....
, " his book on Spain between 1808 and 1939 is basic to a better understanding of the era, and the later generation of historians, both within Spain and abroad, have followed up the leads that Carr gives in his book to great benefit."
His Modern Spain, 1875-1980 was called by the Times Literary Supplement "a turning point in Spanish historiography - nothing comparable in scope, profundity, or perceptiveness exists."
At St Antony's, he established an Iberian Centre, of which he was co-director with Joaquin Romero Maura. Paul Preston
Paul Preston
Paul Preston CBE is a British historian and Hispanist, specialized in Spanish history, in particular the Spanish Civil War, which he has studied for more than 30 years....
wrote in 1984 of their collaboration "Between them, Carr and Romero Maura instilled an intellectual rigour into modern Spanish historiography which had previously been conspicuously lacking." Carr also wrote an extensive foreword to the 1993 edition of The Spanish Labyrinth
The Spanish Labyrinth
The Spanish Labyrinth by Gerald Brenan, is an account of Spain's social, economic and political history as a background to the Spanish Civil War.First published in 1943, it has since then run to several reprints and, together with works by noted Hispanists such as Paul...
by Gerald Brenan
Gerald Brenan
Edward FitzGerald "Gerald" Brenan, CBE was a British writer and Hispanist who spent much of his life in Spain.He is best known for The Spanish Labyrinth, a historical work on the background to the Spanish Civil War, and for South from Granada: Seven Years in an Andalusian Village...
.
A Fellow of the 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...
since 1978, in 1983 he was awarded the Order of Alfonso X el Sabio by King Juan Carlos of Spain and in 1999 the Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
.
He is considered, together with Angus Mackay
Angus Mackay (historian)
Angus Mackay, born in Lima, Peru in 1939, is a Scottish historian and Hispanist, specialising in Later Medieval Spain.Having spent four years as a lecturer in history at the University of Reading, most of his career has been at University of Edinburgh, where he became a Doctor of Philosophy in 1970...
and Sir John Huxtable Elliott
John Huxtable Elliott
Sir John Huxtable Elliott, FBA , who normally publishes as J.H. Elliott, is an eminent historian, Regius Professor Emeritus in the University of Oxford and Honorary Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford and Trinity College, Cambridge....
, a major figure in developing Spanish historiography.
Carr wrote for The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
in 2007 - "I am old-fashioned and aged enough to believe that the best history is the work of the lone individual."
His recreation is fox hunting
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
, about which he has written two books, English Fox Hunting: A History (1976), a comprehensive history of fox-hunting from medieval times, and, with his wife Sara Carr, Fox-Hunting (1982).
Other appointments
- Member of the National TheatreRoyal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
Board, 1968–1977 - Chairman of the Society for Latin American Studies, 1966–1968
- Corresponding Member of the Spain's Royal Academy of HistoryReal Academia de la HistoriaReal Academia de la Historia is a Spanish institution based in Madrid that studies history "ancient and modern, political, civil, ecclesiastical, military, scientific, of letters and arts, that is to say, the different branches of life, of civilisation, and of the culture of the Spanish...
(Real Academia de la Historia), Madrid
Publications
- Two Swedish Financiers: Louis De Geer and Joel Gripenstierna, in H. E. Bell and R. L. Ollard, eds., Historical Essays Presented to David Ogg, London: Black, 1963
- Spain 1808–1939, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 1966 - Latin American Affairs (ed.), Oxford University Press, 1970 (St Antony's Papers, no. 22)
- The Republic and the Civil War in Spain (ed.), 1971
- English Fox Hunting: A History, London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1976, 2nd edition 1986, ISBN 978-0297770749
- The Spanish Tragedy: the Civil War in Perspective, 1977
- Spain: Dictatorship to Democracy (with Juan Pablo FusiJuan Pablo FusiJuan Pablo Fusi Aizpurua is a Spanish historian. He specialises in contemporary history, the Basque Country and nationalisms.-Studies:...
), 1979 - Modern Spain: 1875-1980, 1980
- Spain 1808-1975, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982
- Fox-Hunting (with Sara Carr), Oxford University Press, 1982, ISBN 978-0192141408
- Puerto Rico: a colonial experiment, 1984
- The Spanish Civil War: A History in Pictures (ed.), New York, W. W. Norton & Co., 1986
- The Chances of Death: a diary of the Spanish Civil War (ed.), 1995
- Visiones de fin de siglio, 1999
- Spain: a history (ed.), 2000
- El rostro cambiante de Clío (collection of pieces translated into SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
by Eva Rodríguez Halffter), Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva, 2005 ISBN 84-9742-403-4
Carr has also written many book reviews for journals, including the New York Review of Books and The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
.
Family
In 1950, Carr married Sara Ann Mary Strickland, daughter of Algernon Walter Strickland and of Lady Mary Pamela Madeline Sibell Charteris. Sara Strickland's maternal grandfather was Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of WemyssHugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss
Hugo Richard Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and 7th Earl of March , styled Lord Elcho from 1883 to 1914, was a Scottish Conservative politician....
, and one of her great-grandfathers was Percy Wyndham
Percy Wyndham (politician)
The Honourable Percy Scawen Wyndham DL, JP , was a British soldier, Conservative politician, collector and intellectual...
(1835–1911), a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician who was one of The Souls
The Souls
The Souls were a small, loosely-knit but distinctive social group in England, from 1885 to about 1920. Their members included many of the most distinguished English politicians and intellectuals....
. The Carrs have three sons and one daughter, Adam Henry Maillard Carr (born 1951), Matthew Xavier Maillard Carr (born 1953), Laura Selina Madeline Carr (born 1954), and Alexander Rallion Charles Carr (born 1958). Their son Adam married Angela P. Barry in 1988, and their daughter Rose Angelica Mary Carr was born in 1991. Matthew, a portrait artist, married Lady Anne Mary Somerset
David Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort
David Robert Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort is a British peer. He was nominated to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life:...
in 1988, and their daughter Eleanor Carr was born in 1992. Laura Carr married Richard E. Barrowclough in 1978 and has four children, Milo Edmond, Conrad Oliver, Theodore Charles, and Sibell Augusta.
Honours
- Member of the British AcademyBritish AcademyThe 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...
, 1972 - Fellow of the British Academy, 1978
- Distinguished Professor, Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, 1980 - Honorary Student of Christ Church, OxfordChrist Church, OxfordChrist 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...
, 1986 - Knight BachelorKnight BachelorThe rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
, 1987 New Year HonoursNew Year HonoursThe New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II... - Fellow of the Royal Historical SocietyRoyal Historical SocietyThe Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
- Fellow of the Royal Society of LiteratureRoyal Society of LiteratureThe Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
- Honorary Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford, 1988
- Honorary D LittDoctor of LettersDoctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
, University of MadridUniversity of MadridThe Complutense University of Madrid is a public university in Madrid, Spain, and one of the oldest universities in the world.The University of Madrid may also refer to:* The Autonomous University of Madrid, a public university founded in 1968...
, 1999 - Award of Merit, Society for Spanish Historical Studies of the US, 1987
- Leimer Award for Spanish Studies, University of AugsburgUniversity of AugsburgThe University of Augsburg is a university located in the Universitätsviertel section of Augsburg, Germany. It was founded in 1970 and is organized in 7 Faculties....
, 1990 - Prince of Asturias Award in Social SciencesPrince of Asturias AwardsThe Prince of Asturias Awards are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Prince of Asturias Foundation to individuals, entities or organizations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs....
, Prince of Asturias Foundation, 1999 - Grand Cross of the Order of Alfonso X el Sabio (Spain), 1983
- Order of Infante Dom Henrique (Portugal), 1989
- Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, 2004
Clubs
BeefsteakBeefsteak Club
Beefsteak Club is the name, nickname and historically common misnomer applied by sources to several 18th and 19th century male dining clubs that celebrated the beefsteak as a symbol of patriotic and often Whig concepts of liberty and prosperity....
and Oxford and Cambridge
Oxford and Cambridge Club
The Oxford and Cambridge Club is at 71 Pall Mall, London, England. The clubhouse was designed for the membership by architect Sir Robert Smirke and completed towards the end of 1837. It was founded for members of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge...
; sometime Senior Member of the Bullingdon
Bullingdon Club
The Bullingdon Club is a socially exclusive student dining club at Oxford University. The club has no permanent rooms and is notorious for its members' wealth and destructive binges. Membership is by invitation only, and prohibitively expensive for most, given the need to pay for the uniform,...
.