Edward Robert Norman (born 22 November 1938) is an

ecclesiastical historian __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritua ...

and former

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

priest. From 1999 to 2004, he was Canon Chancellor of

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

. He was educated at

Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn ( ...

, where he received an Open Scholarship.

Early life

Norman was educated at Chatham House Grammar School,

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to the Census, there was a populati ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, and the Monoux School

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London and the ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Charing Cross, the town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and Sout ...

. He went up to

, on an Open Scholarship.

Career

Norman lectured in history at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

for many years. He was a fellow of Selwyn College (from 1962 to 1964) before moving to

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes ...

, to take up a similar position. Today, he is an emeritus fellow of

Peterhouse, Cambridge Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite ...

. He was dean of Peterhouse for 17 years and then dean and chaplain at

Christ Church College, Canterbury , mottoeng = The truth shall set you free , established = 2005 – gained University status 1962 – teacher training college , type = Public , religious_affiliation = Church of England , city ...

. He was also professor of history at the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for post-nominals) is a collegiate research university, located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, co ...

. He is a member of the conservative-leaning Peterhouse school of history and was associated with the influential Cambridge Right, along with

Roger Scruton Sir Roger Vernon Scruton (; 27 February 194412 January 2020) was an English philosopher and writer who specialised in aesthetics and political philosophy, particularly in the furtherance of traditionalist conservative views. Editor from 1982 ...

and

Maurice Cowling Maurice John Cowling (6 September 1926 – 24 August 2005) was a British historian and a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge. Early life Cowling was born in West Norwood, South London, son of Reginald Frederick Cowling (1901–1962), a patent agen ...

. On 7 October 2012, he was received into the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

by way of the

Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in England and Wales is a personal ordinariate in the Latin Church of the Catholic Church immediately exempt, being directly subject to the Holy See. It is within the territory of the Catholic B ...

. Norman was the BBC Reith Lecturer in 1978. For his series of six radio lectures, titled "Christianity and the World", he discussed the relationship between religion and politics.

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

once invited him to

Chequers Chequers ( ), or Chequers Court, is the country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. A 16th-century manor house in origin, it is located near the village of Ellesborough, halfway between Princes Risborough and Wendover in Buck ...

, although Norman insists he is not a

Thatcherite Thatcherism is a form of British conservative ideology named after Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher that relates to not just her political platform and particular policies but also her personal character and general style of manag ...

and says he is "appalled by the results of naked

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private ...

". Norman's book ''Church and Society in Modern England'', published a year after Thatcher's election as Conservative leader, argued that Christianity and Conservatism were natural allies based on the moral superiority of the free market. The free market, Norman argued, left the individual responsible for their choices rather than dependent on state welfare, which rendered people "moral cripples". Thatcher exclaimed: "Dr Norman, you are a prophet".John Campbell, ''Margaret Thatcher. Volume One: The Grocer's Daughter'' (London: Jonathan Cape, 2000), p. 373.

Writings

*''The Catholic Church and Ireland'' (1965) *''The Conscience of the State in North America'' (1968) *''Anti-Catholicism in Victorian England'' (1968) *''The Early Development of Irish Society'' (1969) *''A History of Modern Ireland'' (1971) *''Church and Society in Modern England'' (1976) *"Christianity and Politics" in

(ed.), ''Conservative Essays'' (Cassell, 1978, pp. 69–81.) *
Christianity and the World
' BBC Reith Lectures (1978) *''Christianity and the World Order'' Book based on the BBC Reith Lectures (1979) *''Christianity in the Southern Hemisphere'' (1981) *''The English Catholic Church in the Nineteenth Century'' (1983) *''Roman Catholicism in England'' (1985) *''The Victorian Christian Socialists'' (1987) *''The House of God: Church Architecture, Style and History'' (1990) *''Entering the Darkness: Christianity and its modern substitutes'' (1991) *''An Anglican Catechism'' (2001) *''Out of the Depths'' (2001) *''Secularisation'' (2002) *''Anglican Difficulties'' (2004) *''The Mercy of God's Humility'' (2004) *''The Roman Catholic Church'' (2006)

References

External links

'Anglicanism is going to tip into the sea'

'The Roman Catholic Church by Edward Norman - Book Review by Michael Arditti in the UK's Indpedendent, April 2007'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Edward 1938 births Living people British historians Anglican priest converts to Roman Catholicism 20th-century English Anglican priests English Roman Catholics People associated with Canterbury Christ Church University Fellows of Peterhouse, Cambridge Alumni of Lincoln Theological College People educated at Chatham House Grammar School Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge Fellows of Selwyn College, Cambridge Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge