James Holt (historian) - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from J. C. Holt) English medieval historian

Sir James HoltFBA FRHistS
Born	James Clarke Holt (1922-04-26)26 April 1922 North Bierley, England
Died	9 April 2014(2014-04-09) (aged 91)
Other names	J. C. Holt Jim Holt
Title	Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (1981–1988)
Spouse	Alice Suley (m. 1951)

Academic background
Alma mater	The Queen's College, Oxford Merton College, Oxford
Thesis	The "Northern" Barons Under John (1952)
Academic advisors	V. H. Galbraith John Prestwich
Academic work
Discipline	History
Sub-discipline	Medieval history
Institutions	University of Nottingham University of Reading Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Main interests	Magna Carta
Notable works	Magna Carta (1965)

Sir James Clarke Holt FBA FRHistS (26 April 1922 – 9 April 2014), also known as J. C. Holt and Jim Holt, was an English medieval historian, known particularly for his work on Magna Carta. He was the third Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, serving between 1981 and 1988.

Career

Educated at Bradford Grammar School, Holt's studies at The Queen's College, Oxford, were interrupted by war service with the British Army, including 14 months in north-west Europe in 1944–1945. Returning to The Queen's College in 1945, he graduated with first-class honours in history in 1947, and subsequently took his DPhil with a thesis titled The "Northern" Barons Under John in 1952, at Merton College, Oxford.

He held the positions of Lecturer (1949–1962) and then Professor of Medieval History (1962–65) at the University of Nottingham, Professor of History at the University of Reading (1965–1978) and Professor of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge from 1978 until his retirement in 1988. From 1981 until 1988 he served as the Master of Fitzwilliam College.

He was on the governing body of Abingdon School from 1969 to 1979.

Honours

Holt became a Fellow of the British Academy in 1978 and was its Vice President from 1987 to 1989, was president of the Royal Historical Society (1981–1985), and was knighted for his work as an historian.

Publications

Magna Carta

Holt made his name with the book Magna Carta, which came out in its original edition in 1965. In this work he treated charter in the context of the political framework of its time. The second edition was published in 1992. Holt retained the thematic structure, although he had entertained the thought of revising the work as a clause by clause commentary. New appendices were added for the second edition, and previous ones were expanded. Some parts of the main text underwent limited revision. Holt did not defend his original analysis from critics as much as aggressively restate his views.

One of the most noted aspects of Holt's work on Magna Carta has been its attention to events in continental Europe. Several studies undertaken after the publication of the Second Edition have expanded on the turmoil between John and Pope Innocent III, most significantly the Albigensian Crusade. Holt's original analysis noted similarties between the Statute of Pamiers and Magna Carta, but remained cautious and unwilling to claim a direct influence. George Garnett and John Hudson write in the introduction of the Third Edition that "a picture of closer ties between the Crusade and developments in England can be sketched". Several of John's opponents in England were connected to the Crusade. Stephen Langton's brother Walter Langton and Hugh de Lacy fought alongside Simon de Montfort during the Albigensian Crusade in Languedoc. Baronial leader Robert fitz Walter fled to France in 1212 where he was given the title "Marshal of the Army of God and of the Holy Church in England". Holt originally called the title "imposing", but changed this in the second edition to "vainglorious and seditious".

Selected works

The Northerners: A Study in the Reign of King John, (1961)
Magna Carta, (1965)
What's in a Name? Family Nomenclature and the Norman Conquest. (The Stenton Lecture 1981). University of Reading, 1982.
Robin Hood, (London, 1982)
Magna Carta and Medieval Government, (1985)
Foundations for the Future: The University of Cambridge, (1995)
Colonial England, 1066–1215, (1997)
Magna Carta (Cambridge, 2015)

Personal life

Holt married Alice Suley in 1951; they had one son. Holt was "passionate about cricket".

Death

He died on 9 April 2014, aged 91.

References

"Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
"Sir James Holt - obituary". The Telegraph. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
"Obituaries". University of Oxford Gazette. 144 (5057): 439. 24 April 2014.
^ British Academy Fellowship entry Archived 13 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
^ Levens, R.G.C., ed. (1964). Merton College Register 1900-1964. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 372.
"Governors" (PDF). The Abingdonian.
"A List of Presidents" (PDF). Royal Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
^ Holt, J. C.; Garnett, George; Hudson, John (2015). "Introduction". Magna Carta. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-09316-4.
Tyerman, Christopher (1996). England and the Crusades, 1095-1588. University of Chicago Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-226-82013-2.
Rosamond McKitterick and Christine Carpenter (August 2014). "Jim Holt ". The Seeley History Faculty News Letter. nbr 5/2014: 10.
Professor Sir James Holt dies Archived 13 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Fitzwilliam College News accessed 11 April 2014

External links

Transcript of Interview with Prof Sir James Holt (interview took place in Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, 16 May 2008). Includes photograph & autobiographical details.
MP3 audio file of the Interview with Prof Sir James Holt, 16 May 2008.

Academic offices
Preceded byWalter Ullmann	Professor of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge 1978–1988	Succeeded byBarrie Dobson
Preceded byEdward Miller	Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge 1981–1988	Succeeded byGordon Cameron
Professional and academic associations
Preceded byJohn Habakkuk	President of the Royal Historical Society 1981–1985	Succeeded byGerald Aylmer

v t e Professors of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge
Charles Previté-Orton (1937–1942) Zachary Brooke (1944–1946) David Knowles (1947–1954) C. R. Cheney (1955–1972) Walter Ullmann (1972–1978) James Holt (1978–1988) Barrie Dobson (1988–1999) Rosamond McKitterick (1999–2016) John H. Arnold (2016–present)

v t e Censors and Masters of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Censors	1869 - 1881 Ralph Benjamin Somerset 1881 - 1890 Francis George Howard 1890 - 1907 Tristram Frederick Croft Huddleston 1907 - 1924 William Fiddian Reddaway 1924 - 1954 William Sutherland Thatcher 1955 - 1959 William Washington Williams 1959 - 1966 Walter Wyatt Grave
Masters	1966 - 1971 Walter Wyatt Grave 1971 - 1981 Edward Miller 1981 - 1988 Sir J. C. Holt 1988 - 1990 Gordon Cameron 1991 - 1999 Alan Cuthbert 1999 - 2005 Brian F. G. Johnson 2005 - 2013 Robert Lethbridge 2013 - Nicola Padfield

v t e Presidents of the Royal Historical Society
1871–1872 George Grote 1873–1878 John Russell, 1st Earl Russell 1878–1891 Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare 1891–1899 Sir M. E. Grant Duff 1899–1901 Sir Adolphus Ward 1901–1905 Sir George Prothero 1905–1909 William Hunt 1909–1913 William Cunningham 1913–1917 Sir Charles Firth 1917–1921 Sir Charles Oman 1921–1925 Sir John Fortescue 1925–1929 Frederick Tout 1929–1933 Sir Richard Lodge 1933–1937 Sir F. M. Powicke 1937–1945 Sir Frank Stenton 1946–1949 Robert William Seton-Watson 1949–1953 Theodore Plucknett 1953–1957 Hale Bellot 1957–1961 David Knowles 1961–1965 Sir Goronwy Edwards 1965–1969 Robin Humphreys 1969–1973 Sir R. W. Southern 1973–1977 Sir Geoffrey Elton 1977–1981 Sir John Habakkuk 1981–1985 Sir J. C. Holt 1985–1989 Gerald Aylmer 1989–1993 Michael Thompson 1993–1997 Sir Rees Davies 1997–2001 Sir P. J. Marshall 2001–2005 Dame Janet Nelson 2005–2008 Martin Daunton 2009–2012 Colin Jones 2012–2016 Peter Mandler 2016–2020 Margot Finn 2020-present Emma Griffin

Presidents of the Royal Historical Society

1871–1872 George Grote
1873–1878 John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
1878–1891 Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare
1891–1899 Sir M. E. Grant Duff
1899–1901 Sir Adolphus Ward
1901–1905 Sir George Prothero
1905–1909 William Hunt
1909–1913 William Cunningham
1913–1917 Sir Charles Firth
1917–1921 Sir Charles Oman
1921–1925 Sir John Fortescue
1925–1929 Frederick Tout
1929–1933 Sir Richard Lodge
1933–1937 Sir F. M. Powicke
1937–1945 Sir Frank Stenton
1946–1949 Robert William Seton-Watson
1949–1953 Theodore Plucknett
1953–1957 Hale Bellot
1957–1961 David Knowles
1961–1965 Sir Goronwy Edwards
1965–1969 Robin Humphreys
1969–1973 Sir R. W. Southern
1973–1977 Sir Geoffrey Elton
1977–1981 Sir John Habakkuk
1981–1985 Sir J. C. Holt
1985–1989 Gerald Aylmer
1989–1993 Michael Thompson
1993–1997 Sir Rees Davies
1997–2001 Sir P. J. Marshall
2001–2005 Dame Janet Nelson
2005–2008 Martin Daunton
2009–2012 Colin Jones
2012–2016 Peter Mandler
2016–2020 Margot Finn
2020-present Emma Griffin

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