Dr Ann Loreille Saunders (, 23 May 1930 – 13 February 2019) was a British historian, educator writer and editor. She specialised in the history of London.

Early life and family

Saunders was born Ann Loreille Cox-Johnson on 23 May 1930 in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

, London. In 1960, she married Bruce Saunders.

Career

Before completing her PhD, Saunders worked as Borough Archivist at the

Public Library. The subject of Saunders PhD thesis at the

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

was the history of

Regents Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically between Marylebone and ...

in London. As an academic, Saunders lectured in many London educational establishments, was an Honorary Fellow of

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

and a governor of Bedford College. She served as President of both the Camden History Society and the Saint Marylebone Society, and was a Council Member of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

. Saunders was also closely involved with the

London Topographical Society The London Topographical Society was founded as the Topographical Society of London in 1880 to publish "material illustrating the history and topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of ...

for many years. From 1980-2015, as the Society's Honorary Editor, Saunders edited volumes 24-31 of its five-yearly Journal, the "''London Topographical Record''", and supervised the Society’s annual publications during this period. Among these publications were the A-Z volumes on

Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

London and the London of King Charles II.Obituaries: Anne Loreille Saunders, MBE, PhD, FSA
, ''

Newsletter'', No. 88, May 2019, p. 2. Saunders was also the founder member and editor ''Costume'', the journal of

The Costume Society The Costume Society is national membership organisation in the United Kingdom, formed in 1965 to promote the study and preservation of historic and contemporary dress. It publishes a scholarly journal, ''Costume'', as well as one-off publications; a ...

, which was established in 1967. She regularly reviewed for the journal, until she retired in 2008. On the occasion of her eightieth birthday in 2010, volume 44 of the journal was dedicated to her. In 2000, Saunders was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

List.

Death

Saunders died in 2019 in London, England, aged 88.

Selected lectures

Two of Saunders' Gresham lectures are available to view online:
London 1616 – a snapshot of London early in James I’s reign
– 4 October 2004
Our Marble Tribute
– 18 October 2005

Selected publications

Authored

*''Regent’s Park: a study of the development of the area from 1066 to the present day'', 1969, 2nd edition 1981. *''The Art and Architecture of London'', 1994 * ''St. Paul's: The Story of a Cathedral'', 2001. * ''A History of the Merchant Taylors’ Company,'' 2004.

Edited

* ''Arthur Mee’s London North of the Thames'', 1972. * ''Arthur Mee’s London: the City and Westminster'', 1975. * ''The London County Council Bomb Damage Maps'', 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Anne 1930s births 2019 deaths Historians of London Year of birth uncertain Members of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London British women historians Alumni of the University of London Alumni of the University of Leicester