Derek Albert Pearsall (1931–2021) was an English
medievalist
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
and Chaucerian who wrote and published widely on
Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He ...
,
Langland,
Gower
The Gower Peninsula (), or simply Gower (), is a peninsula in the south-west of Wales. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan, and is now within the City and County of Swansea. It projects towards the Bristol Channel ...
,
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
studies, and
medieval history
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
and culture. He was the co-director for the Centre for Medieval Studies at the
University of York
The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...
and was the Gurney Professor of English Literature at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
.
In 1998, he delivered the
British Academy
The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies 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 sa ...
's Sir Israel Gollancz Memorial Lecture.
Early and personal life
Pearsall was born in Birmingham to parents Elsie (née Rawlins) and Joseph, a shop fitter toolmaker, and attended
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, also known as Camp Hill Boys, is a highly selective grammar school in Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is one of the most academically successful schools in the United Kingdom, currently ranked thirteenth ...
. The first in his family to go to university,
Pearsall earned a B.A. in 1951 and an M.A. in 1952 from the
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
(UK).
[
In 1952 in ]King's Lynn
King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...
, Pearsall married Rosemary Elvidge (d. 2004), whom he had met as a student. They had four children.
References
External links
Complete Bibliography
A complete up-to-date bibliography of Derek Pearsall's published work.
1931 births
2021 deaths
Academics from Birmingham, West Midlands
Academics of King's College London
Academics of the University of York
Alumni of the University of Birmingham
British medievalists
English historians
Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America
Harvard University faculty
People educated at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys
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