Sarah Rosamund Irvine Foot (born 23 February 1961) is an English Anglican priest and

early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

historian, currently serving as

Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History The Regius Chair of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Oxford was founded by Queen Victoria in 1842. Previous Holders of the chair include John McManners, Peter Hinchliff and Henry Mayr-Harting. The current Regius Professor of Ecclesia ...

at the

University of Oxford 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 world's second-oldest university in contin ...

Early life and education

Foot was born on 23 February 1961 and is the daughter of the military historian M. R. D. Foot and his second wife Elizabeth. She was educated until 1979 at

Withington Girls' School Withington Girls' School is an independent day school in Fallowfield, Manchester, United Kingdom, providing education for girls between the ages of seven and eighteen. Withington is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and the Headmasters' ...

in Manchester. She then went up to

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicent ...

, to study at the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic, where she was taught by, amongst others,

Rosamond McKitterick Rosamond Deborah McKitterick (born 31 May 1949) is an English medieval historian. She is an authority on the Franks, Frankish kingdoms in the eighth and ninth centuries AD, who uses palaeography, palaeographical and manuscript studies to illumi ...

and

Simon Keynes Simon Douglas Keynes, ( ; born 23 September 1952) is a British author who is Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon emeritus in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic at Cambridge University, and a Fellow of Trinity Colleg ...

. She graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

(BA) degree in 1984: as per tradition, her BA was promoted to a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

(MA Cantab). She was awarded her

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

(PhD) degree in 1990: her doctoral thesis, written under the

supervision Supervision is an act or instance of directing, managing, or oversight. Etymology The English noun "supervision" derives from the two Latin words "super" (above) and "videre" (see, observe). Spelling The spelling is "Supervision" in Standard ...

, was titled ''Anglo-Saxon Ministers, AD 597 – ca. 900''.

Academic career

Foot was, from 1989 to 1990, research fellow at

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of ...

, before becoming a fellow and tutor there. In 1993 she took up a lectureship 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, Firth C ...

, being promoted to

senior lecturer Senior lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, and Israel senior lecturer is a faculty position at a university or similar institution. The position is tenured (in systems with this con ...

in 2001. In 2004, she was appointed to the newly established chair of Early Medieval History. On 22 February 2007

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

appointed Foot to the Regius Chair of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Oxford. She is the first woman ever to hold this chair. Postholders are expected to lead research and develop graduate studies within their areas of specialisation and to take a leading part in developing the work of the Oxford theology faculty. The professorship is also annexed to a

canonry A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

at Christ Church, although the postholder need only be a lay churchperson; and at a special ceremony on 6 October 2007 Foot was installed as residentiary canon of the cathedral. Her main areas of research lie in the history of Anglo-Saxon England, particularly Anglo-Saxon

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

, women and religion, and the

Cistercians The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Sain ...

. She also works on the history of the early medieval church and society as well as the invention of the English in

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians hav ...

, and historical theory. In 2001 she was awarded a major grant to carry out research into the ruined Cistercian abbeys of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. She has written a biography of

Æthelstan Æthelstan or Athelstan (; ang, Æðelstān ; on, Aðalsteinn; ; – 27 October 939) was List of monarchs of Wessex, King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and List of English monarchs, King of the English from 927 to his death in 939. ...

, the first king of all England. Among her current projects are the charters of Bury St Edmunds Abbey. She contributed to an episode of BBC Radio 4's ''

In Our Time In Our Time may refer to: * ''In Our Time'' (1944 film), a film starring Ida Lupino and Paul Henreid * ''In Our Time'' (1982 film), a Taiwanese anthology film featuring director Edward Yang; considered the beginning of the "New Taiwan Cinema" * ''In ...

'' on the life of

St Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nor ...

, broadcast in January 2021. She is an editor of the ''Oxford History of Historical Writing''.

Ordained ministry

From 2007 to 2017, Foot was a

lay canon A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. This dua ...

. During this time, she felt the

call to ordination A calling, in the religious sense of the word, is a religious vocation (which comes from the Latin for "call") that may be professional or voluntary and, idiosyncratic to different religions, may come from another person, from a divine messenger, ...

. She trained for Holy Orders on the Oxford Ministry Course, a part-time course taught at

Ripon College Cuddesdon Ripon College Cuddesdon is a Church of England theological college in Cuddesdon, a village outside Oxford, England. The College trains men and women for ministry in the Church of England: stipendiary, non-stipendiary, local ordained and lay mi ...

. On 1 July 2017, she was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

by Steven Croft, the Bishop of Oxford. On 21 December 2017, she was ordained as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

Colin Fletcher Colin Fletcher (14 March 1922 – 12 June 2007) was a pioneering backpacker and writer. In 1963, Fletcher walked the length of that portion of Grand Canyon contained within the 1963 boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. Although hi ...

, the Bishop of Dorchester. Since 2017, she has been a residentiary canon of Christ Church Cathedral in the

Diocese of Oxford The Diocese of Oxford is a Church of England diocese that forms part of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Oxford (currently Steven Croft), and the bishop's seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. It contains ...

. She was also a

non-stipendiary minister Self-supporting ministers (SSMs), previously called non-stipendiary ministers or non-stipendiary priests (NSMs), are religious ministers who do not receive a stipend (i.e. payment) for their services and therefore financially support their own mi ...

at Christ Church Cathedral from 2017 to 2019.

Personal life

In 1986, Foot married Geoff Schrecker: they divorced in 1999. Together they had one son. In 2002, she married Michael Bentley,

Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

Professor of Modern History at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

Honours

In 2001, Foot was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher educationa ...

(FRHistS). On 14 June 2001, she was elected a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

(FSA). She served as President of the

Ecclesiastical History Society The Ecclesiastical History Society (EHS) is a British learned historical society founded in 1961 to foster interest in, and to advance the study of, all areas of the history of the Christian Church through twice yearly conferences and publication ...

from 2011 to 2012.

Selected works

* ''Handbook of Historical Theory'', Sarah Foot and Nancy F. Partner (eds.), London, Sage 2012. * ''Æthelstan: The First English King'', New Haven, Yale University Press 2011. * "The Bishops of Selsey and the Creation of a Diocese in Sussex" in: Paul Foster and Rachel Moriarty (eds.), ''Chichester – The Palace and Its Bishops'' Otter Memorial Paper Number 27. Chichester: University of Chichester, 2011, pp. 90–101 * "Patrick Wormald as Historian", in: Stephen Baxter, Catherine E. Karkov, Janet L. Nelson and David Pelteret (eds.), ''Early Medieval Studies in Memory of Patrick Wormald'', Farnham, Ashgate 2009. * "Where English Becomes British: Rethinking Contexts for Brunanburh", in:

Julia Barrow Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e ...

and

Andrew Wareham Andrew Wareham (born 1965) is a British historian who has written numerous books and articles on Anglo-Saxon history, Anglo-Norman history and the hearth tax. He is employed as a reader in the department of humanities at Roehampton University, Lo ...

(eds.), ''Myth, Rulership, Church and Charters: Essays in Honour of Nicholas Brooks'', London, Ashgate 2008. * ''Monastic life in Anglo-Saxon England, c. 600–900'', Cambridge, Cambridge University Press 2006. * "Reading Anglo-Saxon Charters: Memory, Record or Story?", in: Elizabeth M. Tyler and Ross Balzaretti (eds.), ''Narrative and History in the Early Medieval West'', Abingdon, Marston 2006. * "Finding the Meaning of Form: Narrative in Annals and Chronicles" in: Nancy F. Partner (ed.), ''Writing Medieval History (Writing History)'', London, Hodder Arnold 2005. * "The Historiography of the Anglo-Saxon 'Nation-State'" in: Len Scales and Oliver Zimmer (eds.), ''Power and the Nation in European History'', Cambridge, Cambridge University Press 2005. * "Confronting Violence: A Medieval Perspective on the Ethics of Historiography" ''Storia della storiografia'' 42 (2002), pp. 23–41 * ''Veiled Women I: The Disappearance of Nuns from Anglo-Saxon England'', Aldershot, Ashgate Publishing 2000. * ''Veiled Women II: Female Religious Communities in England, 871–1066'', Aldershot, Ashgate Publishing 2000. * "Remembering, Forgetting and Inventing: Attitudes to the Past in England after the First Viking Age", ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', 6th series 9 (1999), pp. 185–200 * "English People" in: Michael Lapidge et al. (eds), ''The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England,'' Oxford, Blackwell 1998, p. 170f. * "The Making of ''Angelcynn'': English Identity before the Norman Conquest", ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', 6th series 6 (1996), pp. 25–49 * "Violence Against Christians? The Vikings and the Church in Ninth-Century England", ''Medieval History'' 1.3 (1991), pp. 3–16 * "Glastonbury's Early Abbots" in: Lesley Abrams and James P. Carley (eds.), ''The Archaeology and History of Glastonbury Abbey: Essays in Honour of the Ninetieth Birthday of C. A. Ralegh Radford'', Woodbrigde, Boydell 1991, p. 163-189. * "What Was an Anglo-Saxon Monastery?" in: Judith Loades (ed.), ''Monastic Studies'', Bangor, Headstart History 1990, p. 48-57. * "Parochial Ministry in Early Anglo-Saxon England: The Role of Monastic Communities" in: W. J. Sheils and Diana Woods (eds.), ''The Ministry: Clerical and Lay'', Oxford, Blackwell 1989, p. 43-54.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foot, Sarah 1961 births 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English historians 21st-century English women writers 21st-century English Anglican priests 21st-century English historians Academics of the University of Sheffield Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Anglican scholars Anglo-Saxon studies scholars British women historians Fellows of Christ Church, Oxford Fellows of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Women Anglican clergy Living people People educated at Withington Girls' School Presidents of the Ecclesiastical History Society Regius Professors of Ecclesiastical History