Claude Blair, (30 November 1922 – 21 February 2010) was a British museum curator and scholar, who specialised in European arms and armour. He is particularly known for his book ''European Armour: circa 1066 to circa 1700'' (1958). He worked in the

Royal Armouries The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom's national collection of arms and armour. Once an important part of England's military organization, it became the United Kingdom's oldest museum, and one of the oldest museums in the world. It is als ...

at the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

from 1951 to 1956, before moving to the Department of Metalwork at the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

, where he remained until his retirement as Keeper of Metalwork in 1982. He was active in church conservation, and served as a Vice-President of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

from 1990 to 1993.

Early life and education

Blair was born on 30 November 1922 in

Chorlton-cum-Hardy Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of Manchester, England, southwest of the Manchester city centre, city centre. Chorlton (ward), Chorlton ward had a population of 14,138 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census, and Chorlton Park (w ...

, Lancashire, England. He was the only child born to William Henry Murray Blair (1875–1945), cotton-goods merchant, and Lilian Blair (née Wearing; 1891–1983). He was educated at

William Hulme's Grammar School William Hulme's Grammar School is a coeducational all-through comprehensive school in Whalley Range, Manchester, England. History William Hulme (1631–1691) of Hulme Hall, Stockport, was the founder of "Hulme's Charity" later known as ...

, a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

in Manchester. Following military service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Blair

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used now ...

into the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

in 1946. He studied history, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1950. He later studied for a Master of Arts (MA) degree from Manchester which he completed in 1963 with a thesis titled "The Emperor Maximilian I's Gift of Armour to Henry VIII and the Silvered and Engraved Armour at the Tower of London".

Career

Military service

Blair served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

during

. Having undertaken officer training in 1942, he was commissioned into the

Royal Regiment of Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

as a second lieutenant on 24 April 1943. While serving in Northern Ireland, he was injured in a vehicle accident. He was riding in the back of a truck that was picking up his regiment's beer supply when the truck braked sharply. The beer barrels shifted; his leg was trapped between two of them and was broken. This ended his active service but he remained in the army as part of the team that tested new

small arms A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

. He left the Army in 1946 with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Curatorial career

In 1951, Blair began his curatorial career, having been appointed an assistant to James Mann at the

Armouries in London. During his time at the Tower, he undertook research into its armour collection and published a book on the matter, ''European Armour, circa 1066 to circa 1700'', which appeared in 1958. This book proved popular and has "yet to be superseded as the standard text on the subject". In 1956, Blair moved to the

(V&A) after being appointed Assistant Keeper of Metalwork by its director, Sir Trenchard Cox. He was promoted to Deputy Keeper in 1966 and to Keeper (i.e. head) of the Department of Metalwork in 1972. He retired from the V&A in 1982. During his career, Blair published more than 200 books and articles. These were varied works, from those related to his main interest of armour, articles about monuments and even the

Crown Jewels Crown jewels are the objects of metalwork and jewellery in the regalia of a current or former monarchy. They are often used for the coronation of a monarch and a few other ceremonial occasions. A monarch may often be shown wearing them in portra ...

. He believed that "museums should be powerhouses of scholarship, but should also communicate and educate". As such, he would give lectures that were accessible to children during the Easter holidays, and wrote a number books aimed at the general public.

Later life

Blair led an active retirement. He was a member of the

Churches Conservation Trust The Churches Conservation Trust is a registered charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk in England. The charity cares for over 350 churches of architectural, cultural and historic significance, which have been transferred in ...

from 1982 to 1997, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Council for the Care of Churches from 1983 to 1991. He was Vice-President of the

between 1990 and 1993. Blair spent his final years living in

Ashtead Ashtead is a village in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, approximately south of central London. Ashtead is on the single-carriageway A24 road (Great Britain), A24 between Epsom and Leatherhead. The village is on the northern sl ...

, Surrey. He died on 21 February 2010 at Epsom Hospital,

Epsom Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...

, having suffered from heart failure.

Personal life

On 23 February 1952, Blair married Joan Mary Greville Drinkwater (1923–1996). Together they had one son, John Blair (born 1955), who became an academic at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

specialising in the history and archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England.

Honours

In the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours, Blair was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) "for services to Church Conservation". In the

2005 New Year Honours New Year Honours were granted in the United Kingdom and New Zealand at the start of 2005. Among these in the UK were knighthoods awarded to Mike Tomlinson, the educationalist; Derek Wanless, who led a review of the National Health Service; ...

, he was appointed a

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

(CVO) "for services to the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

". In 1956, he was elected a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

(FSA). In 1986, he was awarded the Medal of the Arms and Armour Society. In 1995, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Society of Antiquaries; this is awarded "for distinguished services to archaeology" and is the Society's highest award.

Selected works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Claude 1922 births 2010 deaths British curators British military historians People from Chorlton-cum-Hardy People educated at William Hulme's Grammar School Officers of the Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Alumni of the University of Manchester Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery officers Historians of weapons