Sir Frank Merry Stenton,
FBA (17 May 1880 – 15 September 1967) was an English historian of
Anglo-Saxon England
Anglo-Saxon England or Early Medieval England, existing from the 5th to the 11th centuries from the end of Roman Britain until the Norman conquest in 1066, consisted of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms until 927, when it was united as the Kingdom of ...
, and president of the
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history.
Origins
The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...
(1937–1945).
The son of
Henry Stenton of
Southwell, Nottinghamshire,
he was educated at
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to ...
, and was elected an
Honorary Fellow
Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in ...
in 1947.
With
Allen Mawer
Sir Allen Mawer (8 May 1879 − 22 July 1942) was an English philologist. A notable researcher of Viking activity in the British Isles, Mawer is best known as the founder of the English Place-Name Society, and as Provost of University Colleg ...
, Stenton wrote the second
English Place-Name Society volume, ''The Place-Names of Buckinghamshire'', published in 1925. He delivered the
Ford Lectures at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in 1929. He went on to write ''Anglo-Saxon England'', a volume of the
Oxford History of England
The Oxford History of England (1934–1965) was a notable book series on the history of the United Kingdom. Published by Oxford University Press, it was originally intended to span from Roman Britain to the outbreak of the First World War in fou ...
, first published in 1943 and widely considered a classic history of the period.
Stenton was a professor of history at the
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...
(1926–1946), and subsequently the university's vice-chancellor (1946–1950). During his period as vice-chancellor at Reading, he presided over the university's purchase of
Whiteknights Park, creating the new campus that allowed for the expansion of the university in later decades. In November 2008, it was announced that a new hall of residence to be constructed on that campus would be named Stenton Hall, in his honour.
[ ] The annual Stenton Lecture, given by an eminent historian, was inaugurated at Reading University in 1967.
He was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...
in the
1948 New Year Honours, and received the
accolade
The accolade (also known as dubbing or adoubement) ( la, benedictio militis) was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. From about 1852, the term ''accolade'' was used much more generally to ...
from
King George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...
at Buckingham Palace on 10 February 1948.
His wife,
Doris Mary Stenton, wrote a preface to the third edition of ''Anglo-Saxon England'', published after his death, and edited ''Preparatory to Anglo-Saxon England: Being the Collected Papers of Frank Merry Stenton'', published in 1970. She was an historian in her own right, producing ''English Society in the Early Middle Ages'' for the
Pelican
Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...
History of England, and ''The English Woman in History'' (1957).
Stenton's papers, together with those of his wife Doris, Lady Stenton, their library and his coin collection are part of the special collections at Reading University.
References
External links
*
Stenton PapersStenton LibraryStenton Coin CollectionStenton., F. M. (1920), The Danes in England.. History, 5: 173–177. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-229X.1920.tb01326.xTYPES OF MANORIAL STRUCTURE IN THE NORTHERN DANELAW By F. M. STENTONDocuments illustrative of the social and economic history of the Danelaw, from various collections (1920) By F. M. Stenton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stenton, Frank
1880 births
1967 deaths
20th-century English historians
Academics of the University of Reading
Alumni of Keble College, Oxford
Anglo-Saxon studies scholars
British medievalists
Knights Bachelor
Presidents of the Royal Historical Society
Toponymists
Vice-Chancellors of the University of Reading
Contributors to the Victoria County History
Corresponding Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America