John Le Patourel
John Herbert Le Patourel FBA (29 July 1909 – 22 July 1981) was a historian from Guernsey.
[edit] Life
Le Patourel on 29 July 1909 was born on Guernsey, where his father was the Attorney General. He was educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey and Jesus College, Oxford where he obtained a BA in Modern History in 1931 followed by a DPhil.[1][2] His academic career began at University College, London, where he was assistant lecturer (1933) then lecturer (1936) before becoming Reader in Medieval History at the University of London in 1943. In 1945, he moved to the University of Leeds, where he became Professor of Medieval History, a post he held until 1970 when he became Research Professor until 1974.[1] He was also Director of the Graduate Centre for Medieval Studies from 1967 to 1970. He was made a Fellow of the British Academy in 1972 and became Professor Emeritus on his retirement in 1974. He died on 22 July 1981.[2]
His brother, Herbert Wallace Le Patourel, was awarded the Victoria Cross in World War II.
He married Hilda Elizabeth Jean Bird (1915-2011) in 1939 who became an expert in medieval ceramics and in 1967 was appointed a lecturer at the University of Leeds
[edit] Work
Much of Le Patourel's academic writing concerned the history of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands. He was Archivist to the Royal Court of Guernsey from 1946 onwards. His first book, The Medieval Administration of the Channel Islands, was published in 1937, based on his Oxford doctoral thesis.[1] Other works included The Manor and Borough of Leeds, 1066–1400 (1957), The Building of Castle Cornet, Guernsey (1958) and The Norman Empire (1976).[2] His papers and personal collection of books and materials relating to the Channel Islands was donated to the University of Leeds by his widow.[1]
He was a founder member of the Guernsey Society, which was established in 1943 to represent the interests of the Nazi-occupied island to the British Authorities.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Pickering, Oliver (February 2007). "The Channel Islands Collection in Leeds University Library". Jersey & Guernsey Law Review. http://www.jerseylaw.je/Publications/jerseylawreview/feb07/JLR0702_Pickering.aspx. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ a b c "Le Patourel, John Herbert". Who Was Who 1920–2008. Oxford University Press. December 2007. http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U166330. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
