English History, 1914–1945
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The Oxford History of England (1934–1965) was a notable book series on the history of the United Kingdom. Published by Oxford University Press, it was originally intended to span from Roman Britain to the outbreak of the First World War in fourteen volumes written by eminent historians. Its series editor, Sir George Clark, contributed the first volume which appeared in 1934. The series as originally contemplated was completed in 1961. However, it was subsequently expanded and updated by further volumes and editions, taking the narrative as far as the end of the Second World War. Several volumes were subsequently "replaced" by revised editions of which the last was added in 1986. Some of the volumes are considered to be classic works for their respective periods and some have been reissued as stand-alone works. The reputation of the series as a whole, however, is mixed. John Bossy wrote in 1996 that it "does not much ring in the mind" except for volumes 1, 2 and 15 (by Collingwood, Stenton and Taylor). Patrick Wormald in 1981 similarly praised the same volumes (and "perhaps" volume 12 by Watson) as "among the successes of a not entirely happy series". A '' New Oxford History of England'' was commissioned in 1992 and has produced eleven volumes to date. At least six volumes are still forthcoming.


Volumes and authors

The volumes in the series are: *Volume I: '' Roman Britain and the English Settlements'' –
R. G. Collingwood Robin George Collingwood (; 22 February 1889 – 9 January 1943) was an English philosopher, historian and archaeologist. He is best known for his philosophical works, including ''The Principles of Art'' (1938) and the posthumously published ...
and
J. N. L. Myres John Nowell Linton Myres (27 December 1902 – 25 September 1989) was a British archaeologist and Bodley's Librarian at the Bodleian Library in Oxford from 1948 until his resignation in 1965; and librarian of Christ Church before his Bodleian app ...
(1936) **Later replaced by: ::Volume I A: ''Roman Britain'' — Peter Salway (1981) ::Volume I B: ''The English Settlements'' —
J. N. L. Myres John Nowell Linton Myres (27 December 1902 – 25 September 1989) was a British archaeologist and Bodley's Librarian at the Bodleian Library in Oxford from 1948 until his resignation in 1965; and librarian of Christ Church before his Bodleian app ...
(1986) *Volume II: ''
Anglo-Saxon England Anglo-Saxon England or Early Medieval England, existing from the 5th to the 11th centuries from the end of Roman Britain until the Norman conquest in 1066, consisted of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms until 927, when it was united as the Kingdom o ...
, c550–1087'' — Sir Frank Stenton (1943) *Volume III: ''From Domesday Book to
Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the ...
, 1087–1216'' —
Austin L. Poole Austin Lane Poole, FBA (6 December 1889 – 22 February 1963) was a British mediaevalist. Poole came from an academic lineage, being the son of Reginald Lane Poole (archive keeper at the University of Oxford), the nephew of Stanley Lane Poole (p ...
(1951) *Volume IV: ''The Thirteenth Century, 1216–1307'' — Sir Maurice Powicke (1953) *Volume V: ''The Fourteenth Century, 1307–1399'' —
May McKisack May McKisack (1900–1981) was a British medieval historian. She was professor of history at Westfield College in London and later professor of historiography at the University of Oxford and an honorary fellow of Somerville College Oxford. She is ...
(1959) *Volume VI: ''The Fifteenth Century, 1399–1485'' —
E. F. Jacob Ernest Fraser Jacob (12 September 1894 – 7 October 1971) was a British medievalist and scholar who was President of the Chetham Society, Lancashire Parish Register Society and Ecclesiastical History Society. Education He was educated at Tw ...
(1961) *Volume VII: ''The Earlier Tudors, 1485–1558'' — J. D. Mackie (1952) *Volume VIII: ''The Reign of Elizabeth, 1558–1603'' —
J. B. Black John Bennett Black (1883–1964) was a Scottish historian whose primary topic of study was of Elizabethan England. From 1930 to 1953 he was Burnett-Fletcher Professor of History at the University of Aberdeen where a prize is awarded each year i ...
(1936) *Volume IX: ''The Early Stuarts, 1603–1660'' —
Godfrey Davies Godfrey Davies (13 May 1892 – 28 May 1957) was a respected English historian of the 17th century and member of the research staff of the Huntington Library. ''The Mississippi Valley Historical Review'' summarized his contributions by noting: "T ...
(1937) *Volume X: ''The Later Stuarts, 1660–1714'' — Sir George Clark (1934) *Volume XI: ''The Whig Supremacy, 1714–1760'' — Basil Williams (1939) **2nd edition revised by C. H. Stuart (1962) *Volume XII: ''The Reign of George III, 1760–1815'' —
J. Steven Watson John Steven Watson FRSE (20 March 1916 – 12 June 1986) was an English historian who served as Principal of the University of St Andrews from 1966–86. Life He was born on 20 March 1916 the son of George Watson and his wife, Elizabeth Layborn ...
(1960) *Volume XIII: ''The Age of Reform, 1815–1870'' — Sir Llewellyn Woodward (1938) *Volume XIV: ''England, 1870–1914'' — Sir Robert Ensor (1936) *Volume XV: ''English History, 1914–1945'' — A. J. P. Taylor (1965) Several volumes were subsequently revised by the authors to take into account later research.


Use of the term ''England''

When the series was commissioned:
"England" was still an all-embracing word. It meant indiscriminately England and Wales; Great Britain; the United Kingdom; and even the British Empire. (A. J. P. Taylor, Volume XV: ''English History, 1914–1945'', page v)
Since then there has been a trend in history to restrict the use of the term ''England'' to the state that existed pre-1707 and to the geographic area it covered and people it contained in the period thereafter. The different authors interpreted "English history" differently, with Taylor opting to write the history of the British people, including the people of Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Empire and Commonwealth where they shared a history with England, but ignoring them where they did not. Other authors opted to treat non-English matters within their remit.


See also

*''
Pelican History of England The ''Pelican History of England'' is a book series on English history published under the mass-market Pelican Books imprint of Penguin Books between 1950 and 1965. It was subsequently revised and reprinted in numerous editions and the series is s ...
'' (1955–1965)


References

{{Authority control 1934 non-fiction books Series of history books History of England, Oxford Book series introduced in 1934