Louis Francis Salzman (26 March 1878 – 4 April 1971) was a British

economic historian Economic history is the academic learning of economies or economic events of the past. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the application of economic theory to historical situations and ins ...

who specialised in the

medieval period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. He was born in Brighton in 1878, the son of Dr. F. W. Salzmann, and educated at

Haileybury College Haileybury may refer to: Australia * Haileybury (Melbourne), a school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia ** Haileybury Rendall School, an offshoot in Berrimah, North Territory, Australia China * Haileybury International School, an internatio ...

and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He studied natural sciences, aiming to make a career in medicine; however, after inheriting a small private income, he gave this up to work in history. He married Maud Russell in 1904, and had two sons and two daughters. He did not serve in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, through ill-health; he taught at St George's School, Harpenden from 1916 to 1918. In 1918 he moved to Cambridge, and there tutored students. In 1934, his marriage to Maud was dissolved, and he moved to London, shortly thereafter moving to Lewes in Sussex, where he lived to his death. His first book, ''The History of the Parish of Hailsham'', was published in 1901. He then began his work in economic history, writing on Sussex industries for the

Victoria County History The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of En ...

. In 1913 he published ''English Industries of the Middle Ages'', and in 1931 ''English Trade in the Middle Ages''. The building industry had been omitted from ''English Industries'', though it was touched on in an enlarged edition ten years later, and in 1952 he produced ''A Documentary History of Building in England Down to 1540'', a comprehensive study of both the practical and organisational aspects of the industry. In 1934 Salzman succeeded W.H. Page as general editor of the Victoria County History. He held the post until 1949, overseeing the production of fifteen volumes, covering Oxfordshire and Warwickshire as well as Sussex, and was succeeded by Ralph Pugh. Salzman's other academic works included biographies of Henry II (1914) and Edward I (1968), as well as the general studies ''English Life in the Middle Ages'' (1926), ''England in Tudor Times'' (1926), and ''A Survey of English History'' (1930). He wrote a pair of popular collections – ''Medieval Byways'' (1913) and ''More Medieval Byways'' (1926) – of short essays on individual topics, "cookery" or "memories", built around extracts from contemporary records and providing an insight into medieval life seen from an unusual angle. In 1926 he published a play, ''The Girdle of Venus''. In 1909 he became the honorary editor of the '' Sussex Archaeological Collections'', the Sussex Archaeological Society's annual journal; he held the post for the next fifty years and was the first professional archaeologist or historian to edit the journal. He was president of the society from 1954 to 1956, and published a history of it in 1946. In 1955, he was appointed as a

Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, and in 1965 awarded an honorary doctorate by the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

References

Sources

*"Salzman, Louis Francis". ''Who Was Who 1897–2006''. (2007) *Ralph B. Pugh, "Salzman, Louis Francis (1878–1971)", rev., ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2004

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Salzman, Louis Francis 1878 births 1971 deaths People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge People from Brighton Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English historians Historians of England Contributors to the Victoria County History