John Penrose Barron, (27 April 1934 – 16 August 2008) was a British classical scholar. He was Director of the

Institute of Classical Studies The Institute of Classical Studies is a research institution associated with the University of London and a member of the School of Advanced Study. The institute is a national and international research institute in the languages, literature, hi ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

from 1984 to 1991, and Master of St Peter's College, Oxford, from 1991 to 2003.

Early life and education

Barron was born on 27 April 1934 in Morley, Yorkshire, England. He was educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, an all-boys

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

, and at

Clifton College Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...

, then also an all-boys independent school in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. He matriculated into

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

, in 1953; he had originally intended to study law but was convinced by a college tutor to switch to '' Lit. Hum.'' (

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

). Among his tutors were Kenneth Dover and Russell Meiggs. He graduated from the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

with a first class

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) degree in 1957. He remained at Oxford to study for a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(DPhil) degree under the supervision of Antony Andrewes, which he completed in 1961. His

doctoral thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

was on the early history of

Samos Samos (, also ; , ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese archipelago, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the Mycale Strait. It is also a separate reg ...

, and was titled ''The history of Samos to 439 B. C.''.

Academic career

Barron began his academic career in 1959, having been appointed an assistant lecturer in Latin at Bedford College, London: he was promoted to lecturer in 1961. In 1964, he joined

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...

, London as a lecturer in archaeology. He was appointed Reader in Archaeology and

Numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

in 1967. In 1971, he was appointed

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of Greek Language and Literature at

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

: he was therefore appointed to a chair at the unusually young age of 37. He was Head of the King's Department of Classics from 1972 to 1984, and Dean of its

Faculty of Arts A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...

from 1976 to 1980. He then moved into leadership positions in the wider

, serving as Director of the

from 1984 to 1991, and Dean of the Institute for Advanced Study from 1989 to 1991. He was "instrumental in setting up the University of London Institute for Advanced Study", a body which brought together the various research institutes of the university: it would go on to become the

School of Advanced Study The School of Advanced Study (SAS), a postgraduate-only institution of the University of London, is the UK's national centre for the promotion and facilitation of research in the humanities and social sciences. It was established in 1994 and ...

. In 1991, Barron was elected the 7th Master of St Peter's College, Oxford. He would go on to serve two five-year terms and a two-year extension, before retiring in 2003. During his time as master, he increased the number of female students at his college from fewer than 30 percent to almost half. He also greatly expanded the physical footprint of the college, adding three new buildings. He also attempted to add the former Oxford Prison to the portfolio but this was vetoed by the college's governing body. He was also Chairman of the Conference of Colleges, the association of

Oxford Colleges The University of Oxford has 36 colleges within universities in the United Kingdom#Traditional collegiate universities, colleges, three societies, and four permanent private halls (PPHs) of religious foundation. The colleges and PPHs are autonom ...

, from 1993 to 1995, and Chairman of the

's Admissions Committee from 1997 to 2000. As the latter, he aimed to widen the university's intake, and encouraged an increase in the number of

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

educated students. In retirement, he was an honorary fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford and a visiting professor at King's College, London.

Personal life

In 1962, Barron married Caroline Mary Hogarth, a medieval historian. She is the granddaughter of David George Hogarth, a noted archaeologist and decorated naval intelligence officer. Together they had two daughters. After a short time living with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

, Barron died on 16 August 2008 in London, England: he was aged 74.

Selected works

* * * * *

References

External links

St Peter's College – Archives: The Papers of Professor John Barron
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barron, John 1934 births 2008 deaths Academics of Bedford College, London Masters of St Peter's College, Oxford Classical scholars of the University of London People from Morley, West Yorkshire People educated at Clifton College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Members of Academia Europaea Academics of University College London British classical archaeologists British numismatists Academics of King's College London Deaths from pancreatic cancer in England People educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield