William Norton Medlicott (11 May 1900 – 7 October 1987) was a British historian. He was educated at

Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College Haberdashers' Hatcham College (formerly Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College) is a state secondary school with academy status and a music specialism located in New Cross. The school was formerly a grammar school, then a comprehensive City Tec ...

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

and the

Institute of Historical Research The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is a British educational organisation providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is part of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London and is located at Senate Hou ...

.''The Times'' (9 October 1987), p. 20. In 1926 Medlicott took up a post at

University College, Swansea Swansea University ( cy, Prifysgol Abertawe) is a public university, public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. ...

and in 1936 he married Dorothy Kathleen Coveney. Medlicott worked at the Board of Trade for the first year of the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

before being selected by Sir Keith Hancock to be a member of the Cabinet Office Historical Section. Medlicott published the results of his research in his two-volume work ''The Economic Blockade''. From 1945 to 1953 he was Professor of History at the University College of the South-West and in 1953 he was elected to the Stevenson Chair of International History at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. Medlicott succeeded in transforming it into the largest and most successful department of its type in Britain. In his works he sought to interpret twentieth-century international relations in relation to strategic and economic factors. In 1968 he was appointed to deliver the Creighton Lecture, published a year later as ''Britain and Germany: The Search for an Agreement''. He was also secretary and president of the

Historical Association The Historical Association is a membership organisation of historians and scholars founded in 1906 and based in London. Its goals are to support "the study and enjoyment of history at all levels by creating an environment that promotes lifelong lea ...

for six years and was prominent in the

Royal Institute of International Affairs Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

. After a proposal from Donald Read, 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 Mitt ...

was established in 1985 to recognise services to history.The Historical Association,
2017 Medlicott Medal
, (14 June 2017), retrieved 7 July 2018.

Works

* ''Congress of Berlin and After'' (London: Methuen, 1938). * ''British Foreign Policy since Versailles'' (London: Methuen, 1940; 2nd ed. 1968). * ''The Economic Blockade:'' ** ''Volume I'' (London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1952). ** ''Volume II'' (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1959). * ''Bismarck, Gladstone and the Concert of Europe'' (London: University of London Athlone Press, 1956). * ''The Coming of War in 1939'' (London: George Routledge and Kegan Paul for The Historical Association, 1963). * ''Contemporary England, 1914–1964'' (London: Longmans, 1967). * ''Britain and Germany: The Search for an Agreement'' (London: University of London Athlone Press, 1969).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medlicott, William Norton 1900 births 1987 deaths Alumni of University College London Academics of Swansea University Academics of the University of London Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English historians