Arnold Joseph Taylor

CBE 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 ...

(1911–2002) was a medieval

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 stu ...

who was an international expert on European

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

building. He was a leading expert on the Welsh castles of

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

, identifying the origins of the architect in Savoy (now Switzerland). He was Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings at the Ministry of Works (later the Ministry of Public Building and Works and the

Department of the Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

) from 1961 to 1972. Arnold Joseph Taylor was born in London on 24 July 1911. He was educated at the Merchant Taylors' School and at

St. John's College, Oxford St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...

, where he read history. After obtaining a diploma in education he became a schoolteacher at

Chard Chard or Swiss chard (; ''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''vulgaris'', Cicla Group and Flavescens Group) is a green leafy vegetable. In the cultivars of the Flavescens Group, the leaf stalks are large and often prepared separately from the leaf blade; ...

School in Somerset. In 1935 he joined the Ministry of Works as Assistant Inspector in the Ancient Monuments office. After wartime service in RAF Intelligence he was appointed Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Wales, with responsibility for the Edwardian castles of North Wales, on which he became an expert. In 1953 he wrote ''

Caernarvon Castle Caernarfon Castle ( cy, Castell Caernarfon ) – often anglicised as Carnarvon Castle or Caernarvon Castle – is a medieval fortress in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, north-west Wales cared for by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic envir ...

and Town Walls'', which served as the Official Guide-Book for that important structure; it wasissued by the

Ministry of Public Building and Works Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

. (The book was reissued in 1964 with revisions). He was promoted to Assistant Chief Inspector in 1954 and to Chief Inspector in 1961, which he remained until retirement in 1972. In 1940 Taylor married Patricia Guilbride; they had one son and one daughter. He died in Compton, Surrey on 24 October 2002, aged 91.

Awards and public appointments

Freeman of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...

(1959) *

(1971) *

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

(1972) * Society of Antiquaries; president 1975–78 *

London and Middlesex Archaeological Society The London and Middlesex Archaeological Society (LAMAS) is a society founded in 1855 for the study of the archaeology and local history of the City of London and the historic county of Middlesex. It also takes an interest in districts that were h ...

, president 1971–73

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, A. J. Commanders of the Order of the British Empire British medievalists Castellologists 1911 births 2002 deaths People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood Alumni of St John's College, Oxford 20th-century English historians Presidents of the Society of Antiquaries of London