George Osborne Sayles (21 April 1901 – 28 February 1994) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 race; as well as the st ...

best known for his work on the medieval English law courts and the early English Parliaments.

Early life

G. O. Sayles was raised and educated in Derbyshire. He attended Ilkeston Grammar School. He studied at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and then

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

Career

During his lifetime he held the following positions: Assistant in History, Glasgow University 1924-25, Lecturer 1925-34, Senior Lecturer 1934-45; Professor of Modern History, Queen's University Belfast 1945-53;

Burnett-Fletcher Chair of History The Burnett-Fletcher Chair of History at the University of Aberdeen, was founded in 1903. The professorship was established upon funds left by John Burnett, merchant in Aberdeen, and by Mary E. Fletcher, widow of Robert Fletcher. It is a general ch ...

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

1953-62; Vice-President, Selden Society 1954-86; FBA 1962; Kenan Professor of History, New York University 1967-68. His most important works were ''The King's Parliament of England'' (1974) and his work on the modern edition of the late thirteenth-century legal treatise known as ''

Fleta ''Fleta'' is a treatise on the common law of England. It was written in Latin with the sub-title ''seu Commentarius juris Anglicani''. The anonymous author of the book is sometimes referred to as "Fleta", although this is not in fact a person's na ...

'' published by the

Selden Society The Selden Society is a learned society and registered charity concerned with the study of English legal history. It functions primarily as a text publication society, but also undertakes other activities to promote scholarship within its spher ...

in three volumes (of a projected four). His longtime writing partner was

Henry Gerald Richardson Henry Gerald Richardson, FBA (23 September 1884 – 3" ...

(d. 1974).

Personal life

In 1936 he married Agnes Sutherland, from

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. They had a son (Michael) and daughter (Hilary).

Partial bibliography

*''The Medieval Foundations of England'' (1st edn, 1948) *''The King's Parliament of England'' (1974) * *''The Functions of the Medieval Parliament of England'' (1987) in collaboration with H.G. Richardson: *''The Irish Parliament in the Middle Ages'' (1952) * * * *''The Administration of Ireland, 1172–1377'' (1963) *''The English Parliament in the Middle Ages'' (1981)

References

External links

Selden Society, Publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayles, G. O. 1901 births 1994 deaths Academics of the University of Aberdeen People from Ilkeston Alumni of University College London Alumni of the University of Glasgow People educated at Ilkeston Academy 20th-century English historians Fellows of the British Academy Legal historians