Annual lectures at Oxford on British history
The Ford Lectures or the James Ford Lectures in British History , are an annual series of public lectures held at the University of Oxford on the subject of English or British history .[1] They are usually devoted to a particular historical theme and usually span six lectures over Hilary term . They are often subsequently published as a book.
History of the lectureship The lectures are named in honour of their benefactor, James Ford (1779–1851).[2] Ford was educated at King's School, Canterbury , and matriculated at Trinity College, Oxford , in 1797. After graduating in 1801, he went on to his Master of Arts and Bachelor of Divinity degrees. He was a Fellow of Trinity College from 1807 to 1830. His antiquarian collections have been dispersed, but survive in the holdings of the Bodleian Library , the Library of Trinity College, the British Library , and the Cambridge University Library .
Samuel Rawson Gardiner (1829–1902), who delivered the first Ford Lectures in 1896–7In his will, Ford left a number of bequests, some of which were held in trust for the support of his surviving siblings. After they had all died, Oxford University received his bequest of £2,000 to fund a professorship of English history, which was to be established when the principal had grown to support payment of £100 per year. When this goal was reached in 1894, the sum was not enough to support a professor at the current stipend. After considerable discussion within the University, the funds were assigned to fund an annual lectureship in English history by a lecturer who was to be chosen annually by a board of electors. The first Ford's Lecturer in English History was S. R. Gardiner , elected for the academic year beginning in 1896. In 1994, the University of Oxford formally changed the official title of the series from "Ford's Lectures in English History" to "Ford's Lectures in British History".[citation needed ]
As the lectures may be given in either the Michaelmas or Hilary terms (or partly in both), confusion can arise on publication because either calendar year may be stated. The following list gives the academic year .
Lecturers The following have been Ford Lecturers.[3]
To 1899 1900–1924 1900–01 Charles Firth , Cromwell's army: a history of the English soldier during the Civil Wars, the Commonwealth and the Protectorate 1901–02 Charles Plummer , The life and times of Alfred the Great 1902–03 Julian Corbett , England in the Mediterranean 1903–04 Leslie Stephen , English literature and society in the 18th century 1904–05 Andrew Lang 1905–06 Arthur L. Smith , The Church and State in the Middle Ages 1906–07 Francis Haverfield , The Roman Occupation of Britain 1907–08 Alfred Comyn Lyall 1908–09 Arthur Johnson , The Disappearance of the Small Landowner 1909–10 George Edmundson , Anglo-Dutch rivalry during the first half of the 17th century 1910–11 John William Fortescue , British Statesmen of the Great War, 1793–1814 1911–12 Reginald L. Poole , The Exchequer in the Twelfth Century 1912–13 T. F. Tout , The place of the reign of Edward II in English history 1913–14 Peter Hume Brown , The legislative union of England and Scotland 1914–15 Andrew George Little , Studies in English Franciscan History 1915–16 No Election 1916–17 A. G. Little , Studies in English Franciscan History 1917–18 No Election 1918–19 No Election 1919–20 John E. Lloyd 1920–21 Arthur Frederic Basil Williams 1921–22 Sir Richard Lodge , Great Britain and Prussia in the 18th century 1922–23 J. Armitage Robinson , The times of Saint Dunstan 1923–24 C. L. Kingsford , Prejudice and promise in 15th century England 1925–1949 1924–25 Henry William Carless Davis , The age of Grey and Peel 1925–26 1926–27 F. M. Powicke , Stephen Langton 1927–28 Albert Frederick Pollard 1928–29 F. M. Stenton , The First Century of English Feudalism, 1066–1166 1929–30 Alfred Francis Pribram , England and the International Policy of the European Great Powers, 1871–1914 1930–31 Keith Feiling 1931–32 Keith Grahame Feiling , The tories in opposition and in power, 1714–1806 1932–33 A. Hamilton Thompson , The English clergy and their organisation in the later Middle Ages 1933–34 Lewis Namier , King, Cabinet, and Parliament in the Early Years of George III 1934–35 Herbert Edward Salter , Medieval Oxford 1935–36 Richard Henry Tawney 1936–37 George James Turner 1937–38 Harold William Vazeille Temperley 1938–39 Eileen Power , The Wool Trade in English Medieval History 1939–40 James A. Williamson , The Ocean in English History 1940–41 Robin Ernest William Flower 1941–42 V. H. Galbraith , Studies in the public records 1942–43 Wilhelm Levison , England and the Continent in the Eighth Century 1943–44 Admiral Sir Herbert Richmond , Statesmen and Sea Power 1944–45 Austin Lane Poole , Obligations of Society in the XII and XIII Centuries 1945–46 David Mathew , The Social Structure in Caroline England 1946–47 T. F. T. Plucknett , Legislation of Edward I 1947–48 Sir Charles Webster 1948–49 David Knowles , The episcopal colleagues of Archbishop Thomas Becket 1949–50 Ian Richmond 1950–1974 1950–51 G. N. Clark , King James I and Dutch "Imperialism" in Asia 1951–52 Richard Pares , King George III and the politicians 1952–53 K. B. McFarlane , The Nobility of Later Medieval England 1953–54 Thomas Southcliffe Ashton 1954–55 C. R. Cheney , From Becket to Langton: English church government 1170–1213 1955–56 A. J. P. Taylor , The Trouble Makers: Dissent over Foreign Policy, 1792–1939 1956–57 Philip Grierson 1957–58 Norman Sykes 1958–59 Norman Sykes , From Sheldon to Secker: aspects of English church history, 1660–1768 1959–60 G. Kitson Clark , The making of Victorian England 1960–61 Sir Goronwy Edwards , The second century of the English Parliament 1961–62 Christopher Hill , Intellectual Origins of the English Revolution 1962–63 D. C. Douglas , William the Conqueror: the Norman impact upon England 1963–64 Norman Gash , Reaction and reconstruction in English politics, 1832–1852 1964–65 Eleanora Carus-Wilson , The rise of the English woollen industry 1965–66 J. H. Plumb The growth of political stability in England: 1675–1725 1966–67 Beryl Smalley , Intellectuals and Politics in the twelfth century 1967–68 Robert Blake , The Conservative Party from Peel to Churchill 1968–69 Charles Wilson , Queen Elizabeth and the Revolt of the Netherlands 1969–70 J. M. Wallace-Hadrill , Early Germanic kingship in England and on the continent 1970–71 Michael Howard , The continental commitment: the dilemma of British defence policy in the era of the two world wars 1971–72 G. R. Elton , Policy and Police: the enforcement of the Reformation in the age of Thomas Cromwell 1972–73 Rodney Hilton , The English peasantry in the later Middle Ages 1973–74 John Gallagher , The Decline, Revival and Fall of the British Empire 1975–1999 1974–75 Joan Thirsk , Economic Policy, Economic Projects and Political Economy, 1540–1700 1975–76 J. P. Kenyon , Revolution principles: the politics of party, 1689–1720 1976–77 G. W. S. Barrow , The Anglo-Norman era in Scottish history 1977–78 F. S. L. Lyons , Culture and Anarchy in Ireland, 1890–1939 1978–79 Patrick Collinson , The religion of Protestants: the church in English society, 1559–1625 1979–80 Donald A. Bullough , Alcuin : Achievement and Reputation 1980–81 Owen Chadwick , Britain and the Vatican during the Second World War 1981–82 J. J. Scarisbrick , Religious Attitudes in Reformation England 1982–83 J. O. Prestwich , The Place of War in English History 1066–1214 1983–84 Ian R. Christie , Stress and stability in late 18th-century Britain: Reflections on the British avoidance of revolution 1984–85 John Habakkuk , Marriage, debt, and the estates system: English landownership 1650–1950 1985–86 S. F. C. Milsom , Law and Society in the 12th and 13th centuries 1986–87 Keith Robbins , Nineteenth-century Britain: England, Scotland and Wales: the making of a nation 1987–88 Conrad Russell , The Causes of the English Civil War 1988–89 Barbara Harvey , Living and dying in England 1140–1540, the monastic experience 1989–90 Paul Langford , Public Life and Propertied Englishmen, 1689–1798 1990–91 Lord Briggs , Culture and Communication in Victorian England 1991–92 David Underdown , A Freeborn People: politics and the nation in seventeenth-century England 1992–93 P. H. Sawyer , Wealth in Anglo-Saxon England 1993–94 F. M. L. Thompson , Gentrification and the Enterprise Culture: Britain 1780–1980 1994–95 Paul Slack , From Reformation to improvement: public welfare in early modern England 1995–96 James Campbell , Origins of the English state 1996–97 Jose Harris , A land of lost content? Visions of civic virtue from Ruskin to Rawls 1997–98 R. R. Davies , The first English empire: power and identities in the British Isles, 1093–1343 1998–99 T. C. Smout , Use and delight: environmental history in Northern England since 1600 1999–2000 Keith Thomas , The ends of life: roads to fulfilment in early modern England From 2000 2000–01 Christopher Dyer , An Age of Transition? Economy and Society in England in the Later Middle Ages 2001–02 Peter Clarke Britain's image in the world in the twentieth century 2002–03 Quentin Skinner , Freedom, Representation, and Revolution, 1603–51 2003–04 John Maddicott , The Origins of the English Parliament 2004–05 Marianne Elliott , Religion and Ireland 2005–06 John Morrill , Living with Revolution 2006–07 Robert Bartlett , The Learned Culture of Angevin England 2007–08 Ross McKibbin , Parties People and the State: Politics in England c.1914–1951 2008–09 John Brewer, The Politics of Feeling in the Age of Revolutions, 1760–1830 2009–10 David Bates , The Normans and Empire 2010–11 Peter Lake, Bad Queen Bess? Libelous Politics and Secret Histories in an Age of Confessional Conflict 2011–12 Roy Foster , Making a Revolution in Ireland, c.1890–1916 2012–13 John Blair , Building the Anglo-Saxon Landscape [4] 2013–14 Susan Pedersen ,[5] Internationalism and Empire: British Dilemmas, 1919–1939 2014–15 Steven Gunn , The English people at war in the age of Henry VIII [6] 2015–16 Christine Carpenter , The Problem of the Fourteenth Century: Politics, State and Society in England 1307–1399 2016–17 Stefan Collini , History in English Criticism, 1919–1961 2017–18 Alexandra Walsham , The Reformation of the Generations: Age, Ancestry, and Memory in England, c. 1500–1700 2018–19 Mark Bailey : After the Black Death: Society, economy and the law in fourteenth-century England 2019–20: Margot Finn , Family and Empire: Kinship and British Colonialism in the East India Company Era, c. 1750–1850 . 2020–21: Jane Ohlmeyer , Ireland, Empire, and the Early Modern World 2021–22: Robin Fleming , Dogsbodies and Dogs' Bodies: A Social and Cultural History of Roman Britain's Dogs and People 2022–23: Colin Kidd , Peculiarities of the English Enlightenment: Ancients, Moderns and Pagan Pasts 2023–24: Alec Ryrie , The World's Reformation References External links Current Regulations for the Lectureship: Oxford University Statutes on Ford's Lectures Archived 18 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine