Frederick George "Derick" Emmison (28 May 1907 – 9 November 1995) was a British archivist, author and historian. He was

County Archivist A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

for

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

between 1925 and 1938, County Archivist for

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

between 1938 and 1969, a founder member of the British Records Association and the Society of Archivists, and a winner of the John Bickersteth Medal in 1974 and the

Medlicott Medal The Medlicott Medal for Service to History is awarded annually by the Historical Association. The award is named for William Norton Medlicott, and was first made in 1985. Twenty-seven men have won the award, and nine women. Winners *2020 Rana Mit ...

in 1987. He was also a prolific author who made a significant contribution to our understanding of the Elizabethan era through close analysis of the minutiae of local records of that age in

Early life and education

Frederick George Emmison was born in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

on 28 May 1907. He was educated at Bedford Modern School where he excelled academically but was forced to abandon hopes of a University education when his father mistakenly thought a family investment had failed.

Career

At the age of 16, Emmison joined the Bedfordshire Record Office in

under the directorship of Dr G. H. Fowler, then Chairman of the Bedfordshire Records Committee. He was quick to master the work and earn the respect of the county with many important documents being deposited at the record office during his tenure by local churches in particular. Emmison was County Archivist for

between 1925 and 1938; and County Archivist at

Essex Record Office The Essex Record Office is the repository for records about the county of Essex in England. The office is run by Essex County Council Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It ...

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

between 1938 and 1969. His "energetic and imaginative approach impressed many", and Essex was considered to have the leading

record A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

system in the country. In time the Essex Record Office became a publishing house for local history and Emmison became a prolific author. His ''Tudor Secretary: Sir

William Petre Sir William Petre (c. 1505 – 1572) (pronounced ''Peter'') was Secretary of State to three successive Tudor monarchs, namely Kings Henry VIII, Edward VI and Queen Mary I. He also deputised for the Secretary of State to Elizabeth I. Educate ...

at Court and Home'' was a "significant contribution to Tudor studies". His Elizabethan Life series "demonstrated the richness of sources for the period and his ability to relate local material to the wider canvas". Emmison was a founder member of the British Records Association in 1932 and the Society of Local Archivists in 1947.

Family

In 1935 he married fellow archivist Margaret Moorhead Langwill, daughter of pioneering physician

Alice Moorhead Dr Alice Margaret Moorhead MD LRCP LRCSE LM (Dub) (1868–23 June 1910), also known as Dr A.M. Moorhead, was one of the first practising female physicians and surgeons in Scotland. In the late 19th-century she established a practice and hospi ...

and her husband, Dr Hamilton Graham Langwill. Her maternal aunt was

Ethel Moorhead Ethel Agnes Mary Moorhead (28 August 18694 March 1955) was a British suffragette and painter and was the first suffragette in Scotland to be forcibly-fed. Early life Moorhead was born on 28 August 1869 in Fisher Street, Maidstone, Kent. She wa ...

and grandfather was Brigadier Surgeon George Alexander Moorhead.

Awards and honours

Emmison was a Liveryman of the

Worshipful Company of Scriveners The Worshipful Company of Scriveners is one of the 110 Livery Company, livery companies of the City of London. The Scriveners Company was originally known as the ''Mysterie of the Writers of the Court Letter'' and, since its incorporation, as '' ...

and a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

, the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, 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 Histori ...

and the Society of Genealogists. He was President or Vice-President of the Historical Association, the British Records Association, the Society of Archivists and the Society of Genealogists. Emmison was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1966 for his work as County Archivist of Essex. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Essex in 1970 and was winner of the John Bickersteth Medal in 1974 and the

in 1987.

Selected bibliography

* ''Tudor Secretary: Sir

At Court And Home''. Published by

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

, 1961 * ''Introduction to Archives''. Published by

British Broadcasting Corporation #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

, 1964 * ''Tudor Food And Pastimes''. Published by

Ernest Benn Limited Ernest Benn Limited was a British publishing house. Sir John Benn Founded by Sir John Benn as Benn Brothers in 1880, it started as the publisher of the trade journal, ''The Cabinet Maker''. Ernest Benn After Sir John was elected to Parliamen ...

, London, 1964 * ''How To Read Local Archives, 1550–1770''. Published by Historical Association, London, 1967 * ''Elizabethan Life. Disorder: mainly from Essex Sessions and Assize Records''. Published by Essex Record Office Publications,

, 1970 * ''Elizabethan Life: Morals And The Church Courts''. Published by Essex County Council,

, 1973 * ''Elizabethan Life: Home, Work & Land: From Essex Wills And Sessions And Manorial Records''. Published by Essex County Council,

, 1976 * ''Elizabethan Life. Wills of Essex Gentry & Merchants Proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury''. Published by Essex Record Office Publications,

, 1978

References

External links

Frederick George Emmison at WorldCat Identities
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emmison, Frederick George 1907 births 1995 deaths English archivists Members of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the Royal Historical Society People from Bedford People educated at Bedford Modern School