Robert Clifford Latham CBE, MA, FBA (11 March 1912 – 4 January 1995) was

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

and Pepys Librarian of

Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Ma ...

, and joint editor of ''The Diary of

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...

'' (1970–83).

Early life and education

Latham was born on 11 March 1912 in

Audley, Staffordshire Audley is a large village in Staffordshire, England. It is the centre of Audley Rural parish, approximately four miles (6 km) north west of Newcastle-under-Lyme and 3 miles (5 km) from Alsager near the Staffordshire-Cheshire border. Audley is ...

. He was educated at Wolstanton Grammar School,

Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme ( RP: , ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. The 2011 census population of the town was 75,082, whilst the wider borough had a population of 1 ...

, Staffordshire (now The Orme Academy) and

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

, where he received a double

First Class Honours Degree The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

in history.

Academic career

In 1935 he was appointed an Assistant Lecturer at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, and in 1939 a Lecturer. He was

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in History (1947–1972) and

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of Men (1965–1968) at

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

, during the introduction of male

undergraduates Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry- ...

. In the academic year 1968–69 he was Professor of History at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. From 1970 to 1972 he was Research

, from 1972 to 1984 Fellow, and from 1984 to 1994 Hon. Fellow of

, where, as Pepys Librarian from 1972 to 1982, he had charge of the remarkable collection of books, prints and manuscripts which

had left to his old college. Beginning in 1950, he devoted the greater part of his life to the study and editing of Pepys' diary. His work, undertaken in collaboration with Professor Willam Matthews of

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, was eventually published as ''The Diary of Samuel Pepys: a new and complete transcription'' in nine volumes, along with two separate Index and Companion volumes, in 1970–83. Latham's second wife, Linnet, assisted him with the compilation of the Index and Companion volumes: the Index volume alone ran to some 900 pages. Latham described the edition as "the first ..in which the entire text was printed and a comprehensive commentary published". It included the erotic passages omitted in the edition of 1893–99 by H. B. Wheatley which "could hardly have been published in

Victorian England In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edward ...

without causing offence". The ''Diary'' was described in a ''

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'' review by

Bernard Levin Henry Bernard Levin (19 August 1928 – 7 August 2004) was an English journalist, author and broadcaster, described by ''The Times'' as "the most famous journalist of his day". The son of a poor Jewish family in London, he won a scholarship t ...

as "the absolutely complete and unimprovably definitive edition ..so exceptional that it can be said to have set new standards of scholarship". In 1985 Latham also published a single-volume edition of selections from the diaries, under the title ''The Shorter Pepys''.

Honours

Latham was appointed a CBE in 1973; and was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # ...

in 1982.

Personal life

Latham married Eileen Ramsay in 1939 (died 1969), with whom he had a son and daughter. In 1973 he married Rosalind ("Linnet") Birley, who died in 1990 (

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

). His son is Sir

David Latham Sir David Nicholas Ramsay Latham, PC (born 18 September 1942) is a retired British judge who was Lord Justice of Appeal and Chairman of the Parole Board for England and Wales. Latham is the son of Robert Latham (1912–1995), editor of the di ...

QC, who has served as Chairman of the

Parole Board for England and Wales The Parole Board for England and Wales () was established in 1968 under the Criminal Justice Act 1967. It became an independent executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) on 1 July 1996 under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. The ...

.''Higher'' - Magazine of Royal Holloway College - Issue 13, autumn 2010 Latham died on 4 January 1995 in Cambridge, aged 82.

References

External links

Obituary in The Independent, London Retrieved 2008-05-07

William Matthews at the California Digital Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Latham, Robert Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Fellows of Magdalene College, Cambridge Academics of King's College London Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London People from Audley, Staffordshire 1912 births 1995 deaths People educated at Wolstanton Grammar School Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the British Academy