Arnold Joseph Taylor CBE (1911–2002) was a medieval

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

who was an international expert on European

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

building. He was a leading expert on the Welsh castles of

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

, identifying the origins of the architect in

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

(now in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

). He was Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings at the Ministry of Works (later the Ministry of Public Building and Works and the

Department of the Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

) from 1961 to 1972. Arnold Joseph Taylor was born in London on 24 July 1911. He was educated at the Merchant Taylors' School and at St. John's College, Oxford, where he read history. After obtaining a diploma in education he became a schoolteacher at

Chard Chard (; '' Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''vulgaris'', Cicla Group and Flavescens Group) is a green leafy vegetable. In the cultivars of the Flavescens Group, or Swiss chard, the leaf stalks are large and often prepared separately from the leaf b ...

School in Somerset. In 1935 he joined the Ministry of Works as Assistant Inspector in the Ancient Monuments office. After wartime service in RAF Intelligence he was appointed Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Wales, with responsibility for the Edwardian castles of North Wales, on which he became an expert. In 1953 he wrote '' Caernarvon Castle and Town Walls'', which served as the Official Guide-Book for that important structure; it was issued by the Ministry of Public Building and Works. (The book was reissued in 1964 with revisions). He was promoted to Assistant Chief Inspector in 1954 and to Chief Inspector in 1961, which he remained until retirement in 1972. In 1940 Taylor married Patricia Guilbride; they had one son and one daughter. He died in Compton, Surrey on 24 October 2002, aged 91.

Awards and public appointments

Freeman of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...

(1959) * CBE (1971) *

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (post-nominal letters 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 t ...

(1972) * Society of Antiquaries; president 1975–78 * London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, president 1971–73

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, A. J. Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English medievalists Castellologists 1911 births 2002 deaths People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood Alumni of St John's College, Oxford 20th-century English historians Presidents of the Society of Antiquaries of London