Mark Ormrod (historian)
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William Mark Ormrod, (1 November 1957 – 2 August 2020) was a
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...
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 specialised in the
Later Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the period of European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...
of England. Born in
South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...
, he studied 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 ...
, and then earned his
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 ...
at
Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...
. He was employed at a number of institutions, eventually settling 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 ...
where he became
Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...
of the History Faculty and director of the Centre for Medieval Studies. He researched and published widely, including nine books and over 80 book chapters. Ormrod retired in 2017 and died of cancer in 2020.


Early life

Ormrod was born in
Neath Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...
,
South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...
, in 1957 to David and Margaret Ormrod, and had two younger brothers. He attended the local grammar school, where he was head boy; he played and sang music. He took a first-class
undergraduate degree An undergraduate degree (also called first degree or simply degree) is a colloquial term for an academic degree earned by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. In the United States, it is usually offered at an institution of higher ed ...
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 ...
, in 1979, and undertook postgraduate study at
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a 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 second-oldest continuously operating u ...
. He researched his D.Phil at
Worcester College Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...
examining
Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...
's
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
between 1346 and 1356—which was awarded in 1984.


Career

After completing his doctorate, Ormrod held positions at the
University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...
,
Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...
, and
St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The colle ...
, obtaining a lectureship 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 ...
in 1990. The latter institution promoted him to
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 History in 1995. He subsequently became Director of York’s Centre for Medieval Studies (1998–2001 and 2002–2003), Head of the Department of History (2001, 2003–2007), and
Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...
of the Faculty of
Arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...
and
Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
from 2009 until taking early retirement in 2017. Ormrod held numerous professional affiliations and memberships, being a
Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
of the
Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society (RHS), founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the H ...
, a
Councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...
of the
Pipe Roll Society The Pipe rolls, sometimes called the Great rollsBrown ''Governance'' pp. 54–56 or the Great Rolls of the Pipe, are a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, or Treasury, and its successors, as well as the Exchequ ...
, a
trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...
of the Richard III and Yorkist History Trust, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He had also been an editor of the Yorkshire Archaeological Press, the
York Medieval Press The York Medieval Press is a publishing joint venture between the University of York Centre for Medieval Studies and Boydell & Brewer Boydell & Brewer is an academic press based in Martlesham, Suffolk, England, that specializes in publish ...
, and the Parliament Rolls of Medieval England (PROME) project. He frequently collaborated with the
Borthwick Institute for Archives The Borthwick Institute for Archives is the specialist archive service of the University of York, York, England. It is one of the biggest archive repositories outside London. The Borthwick was founded in 1953 as The Borthwick Institute of Histori ...
, and was particularly interested in opening access to archives online. These projects included England's Immigrants, 1350–1550, which identified 70,000 immigrants to the country over the period, and contributed to the
national curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with state or othe ...
. One of his last publications, his contribution to the
Yale English Monarchs series The Yale English Monarchs series is a series of biographies on English and British kings and queens, published by Yale University Press. The books are written by some of the leading experts within their respective fields, incorporating the latest hi ...
on ''Edward III'', has been described as “a first rate example of historical investigation", and an "exceptionally complex project that had defeated several earlier scholars". In addition to his prodigious written output — “at least nine books, fourteen edited collections and well over eighty book chapters and articles“ — Ormrod acted as Principal Investigator for nineteen major research projects worth more than £4 million in external funding, and supervised twenty-eight doctoral
dissertations 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 ...
. July 2020 brought publication of ''Monarchy, State, and Political Culture'', a
Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
compiled in his honour by his colleagues Gwilym Dodd and Craig Taylor. Dodd and Taylor also endowed the Mark Ormrod Prize, awarded annually to the best doctoral dissertation, on any medieval topic, at the University of York.


Death

He died of
bowel cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...
aged 62 on 2 August 2020; the proofs for his final monograph, ''Winner and Waster'', were delivered to his publisher 10 days previously.


Select bibliography

;As author *''Winner and Waster and its Contexts: Chivalry, Law and Economics in Fourteenth-Century England'', Cambridge, 2021. *''Women and Parliament in Later Medieval England'', London, 2020. *''Edward III'', London 2011 (English Monarchs series). *''Political Life in Medieval England, 1300–1450'', Basingstoke / New York, 1995. *''The Reign Of Edward III: Crown and Political Society in England, 1327-1377'', 1990 *''England in the Fourteenth Century: Proceedings of the 1985 Harlaxton Symposium'', Woodbridge, 1986. ;As editor *''A Social History of England, 1200-1500'', with Rosemary Horrox, Cambridge 2006. *''Fourteenth Century England'', Woodbridge, 2004. *''Time in the Medieval World'', with C. Humphrey, York / Woodbridge 2001. *''The Problem of Labour in Fourteenth Century England'', with J. Bothwell and P.J.P. Goldberg, York / Woodbridge, 2000. *''The Evolution of English Justice: Law, Politics and Society in the Fourteenth Century'', with
Anthony Musson Anthony Musson is professor of legal history at the University of Exeter. Musson is a barrister of the Middle Temple and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Society of Antiquaries of London.England’s Immigrants 1330–1550
', with Craig Taylor, Nicola McDonald
et al.
York / London, Aug 2020. *

', with
Chris Given-Wilson Chris Given-Wilson (born 1949) is a British historian and academic, specialising in medieval history. He was Professor of History of the University of St Andrews, where he is now professor emeritus. He is the author of a number of books. Car ...
, Paul Brand,
Anne Curry Anne Elizabeth Curry (who publishes as Anne Curry and A. E. Curry; born 27 May 1954) is an English historian and Officer of Arms. Career Curry is Emeritus Professor of Medieval history at the University of Southampton and was dean of the F ...
, Rosemary Horrox, G. Martin, and J.R.S. Phillips, Woodbridge / Leicester, 2005.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ormrod, Mark 1957 births 2020 deaths Fellows of the Royal Historical Society British medievalists Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Fellows of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Deaths from colorectal cancer in England 20th-century Welsh historians 20th-century English male writers 21st-century English male writers Alumni of King's College London 21st-century Welsh historians 21st-century Welsh writers Welsh male non-fiction writers British university and college faculty deans Historians of the University of York Academics of Queen's University Belfast Academics of the University of Sheffield Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Members of the University of Cambridge faculty of history