John Herbert Le Patourel (29 July 1909 – 22 July 1981) was a British medieval historian and professor at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

Biography

Le Patourel was born on 29 July 1909 in Guernsey, where his father, Herbert Augustus Le Patourel, was the procureur ( Attorney General) from 1929 to 1934. He was educated at

Elizabeth College, Guernsey The Royal College of Elizabeth, better known as Elizabeth College, is a co-educational independent school in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey. One of the earliest members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), it is a public school ...

and

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship S ...

where he obtained a BA in Modern History in 1931 followed by a

DPhil 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 ...

. In 1939 he married (Hilda Elizabeth) Jean Bird (1915–2011), who became an expert in medieval ceramics and was a Lecturer in

Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

at the

from 1967 to 1980. They had a daughter and three sons. His brother, Herbert Wallace Le Patourel, was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Career

Le Patourel's academic career began at

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

, where he was appointed

Assistant Lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

in 1933, Lecturer in 1936 and

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Medieval History In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

in 1943. In 1945, he became

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

at the

, a post he held until 1970. He was then a Research Professor at Leeds until 1974 when he retired with the title Emeritus Professor. He was also Director of the Graduate Centre for Medieval Studies from 1967 to 1970. Le Patourel was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1972. He died on 22 July 1981.

Work

Much of Le Patourel's academic writing concerned the history of Guernsey and the other

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

. He was Archivist to the Royal Court of Guernsey from 1946 onwards. His first book, ''The Medieval Administration of the Channel Islands'', was published in 1937, based on his Oxford doctoral thesis. Other works included ''The Manor and Borough of Leeds, 1066–1400'' (1957), ''The Building of Castle Cornet, Guernsey'' (1958) and ''The Norman Empire'' (1976). His papers and personal collection of books and materials relating to the Channel Islands was donated to the University of Leeds by his widow. His archives are now held at Special Collections in the Brotherton Library. He was a founder member of the

Guernsey Society The Guernsey Society is an organisation for people with an interest in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Society aims The Guernsey Society aims are to promote, maintain and stimulate interest in all matters concerning the Bailiwick of Guernsey, its past, ...

, which was established in 1943 to represent the interests of the Nazi-occupied island to the British Authorities.

Legacy

In 1979, the graduate student research office at the Institute for Medieval Studies was named the 'Le Patourel Room' in his honour. On 18 July 2015, a blue plaque was unveiled at his childhood home in Fosse Andre St Peter Port Guernsey celebrating the lives of Le Patourel and his brother, Wallace.Le Patourel Blue Plaque unveiled
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References

External links