Peter Clement Bartrum (4 December 1907 in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

– 14 August 2008, in

Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England. It is located north-west of London; nearby towns and cities include Watford, St Albans and Berkhamsted. The population at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 cens ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, England) was a researcher and

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their Lineage (anthropology), lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family ...

who, from the 1930s onwards, specialised in the

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

of the Welsh

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

of the

Middle Ages 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 global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

Early life

Bartrum was born on 4 December 1907 in Hampstead, London, the oldest of 3 children to Clement Osborn Bartrum (1867–1939) and Kate Isabel Bartrum (née Shattock; 1879–1957). His father Clement, was a prominent member of the

British Astronomical Association The British Astronomical Association (BAA) was formed in 1890 as a national body to support the UK's amateur astronomers. Throughout its history, the BAA has encouraged observers to make scientifically valuable observations, often in collaborat ...

, and had an interest for precision clocks. Bartrum was educated in

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 ...

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 ...

and won a maths scholarship to

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...

in 1926, worth £300 (£22,613.11 in 2023) a year.

Career

He joined the colonial service in 1930, and began his professional career as a meteorologist, until his retirement in 1955. Although an Englishman by birth, he developed a lifelong interest in the history and genealogy of the royal families and nobility of medieval

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. He learned to read the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

and went on to publish a compendious series of volumes containing the edited texts of medieval Welsh genealogical tracts and his own detailed reconstructions of family lines. His work is now an essential resource for any serious student of early and medieval Welsh history. Much of his work has been made available online.

Personal life

On 19 September 1934, Bartrum married Barbara Ellen Spurling (1910–2003) and had a son, Jonathan Spurling Bartrum (b. 1936). Bartrum died on 14 August 2008, aged 100, in

References

Bibliography

* ''Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts'' (1966). * ''Welsh Genealogies AD 300–1400'' (1974). * ''Welsh Genealogies AD 1400–1500'' (1983). * ''A Welsh Classical Dictionary, People in History and Legend up to about A.D. 1000'' (1993). {{DEFAULTSORT:Bartrum, Peter 1907 births 2008 deaths Alumni of the Queen's College, Oxford British genealogists English men centenarians Celtic studies scholars Historians of Wales People from Hampstead