Neil Ripley Ker (; 1908–1982) was a scholar of
Anglo-Saxon literature
Old English literature refers to poetry and prose written in Old English in early medieval England, from the 7th century to the decades after the Norman Conquest of 1066, a period often termed Anglo-Saxon England. The 7th-century work '' Cædmo ...
. He was Reader in Palaeography at the University of Oxford and a fellow of
Magdalen College, Oxford until he retired in 1968. He is known especially for his ''Catalogue of Manuscripts Containing Anglo-Saxon'', which is praised as a milestone in Anglo-Saxon manuscript study.
Biography
Ker was born in
Brompton, London, and was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
and
Magdalen College, Oxford, completing a BA in English Language and Literature in 1931 and a BLitt in 1933. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
he was a
conscientious objector.
In 1945 he was elected a fellow of Magdalen College and in 1946 University Reader in Palaeography. In 1968 he retired from his roles at Oxford to focus on his largest work, ''Medieval Manuscripts in British Libraries''. He completed the first two volumes and most of the third and left a draft of the fourth.
Legacy
Annually, the
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...
awards grants in Ker's name to scholars who publish books "that include analysis of the distinctive features of original manuscripts."
Publications (selected)
*1941: ''Medieval Libraries of Great Britain''
*1954 ''Fragments of Medieval Manuscripts Used as Pastedowns in Oxford Bindings''
*1957: ''Catalogue of Manuscripts Containing Anglo-Saxon''
*1960: ''English Manuscripts in the Century after the Norman Conquest''
*1964: ''Medieval Libraries of Great Britain''; 2nd ed.
*1969: ''Medieval Manuscripts in British Libraries''; vol. 1
*1977: ''Medieval Manuscripts in British Libraries''; vol. 2
References
Further reading
*
External links
Neil Ripley Ker on WorldCat
Anglo-Saxon studies scholars
British medievalists
English palaeographers
1908 births
1982 deaths
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Fellows of the British Academy
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