Pauline Emily Meiggs (née Gregg) (17 July 1909 – 11 March 2006), who wrote under the name Pauline Gregg, was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 ...

Early life and education

Born at

Palmers Green Palmers Green is a suburban area and electoral ward in North London, England, within the London Borough of Enfield. It is located within the N13 postcode district, around north of Charing Cross. It is home to the largest population of Greek Cy ...

, north London, to working-class parents Thomas James Nathaniel Gregg, a Post Office mail sorter, and Elizabeth Janette (née Kuttner),Contemporary Authors, 1st revised edition, Gale Research Company, 1969, p. 478 Gregg was attracted to socialism during her schooldays, joining the Labour

League of Youth The Labour League of Youth was the youth organisation of the British Labour Party from 1926 to the 1960s.Barberis, Peter; McHugh, John; Tyldesley, Mike. ''Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations: Parties, Groups and Movements ...

and

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

, and addressing meetings from a coal cart, later from

Speakers' Corner A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed. The original and best known is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in London, England. Historically there were a number of other areas desig ...

in Hyde Park. Having started work as a secretary at

Longman Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC. Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...

, in 1932 she was able, with a loan from

Middlesex County Council Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965. The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the coun ...

, to take a place at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

. Her doctorate, on

John Lilburne John Lilburne (c. 161429 August 1657), also known as Freeborn John, was an English political Leveller before, during and after the English Civil Wars 1642–1650. He coined the term "'' freeborn rights''", defining them as rights with which eve ...

, leader of the

Levellers The Levellers were a political movement active during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populis ...

, was the basis of a book, ''Free-Born John'', published in 1961.

Career

Gregg was offered a lectureship at

Hillcroft College Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College is a further education college located in Richmond and Surbiton in Greater London. It was established in 2017 by a merger between Richmond Adult Community College and the specialist Hillcroft Colleg ...

, Surbiton, south-west London, but joined the Ministry of Supply when 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 ...

began, and was posted to Warwick. There she met

Russell Meiggs Russell Meiggs (20 October 1902 – 24 June 1989) was a British ancient historian. He did extensive research on the Roman port city of Ostia. Early life and education Meiggs was born at Balham, south London, son of William Herrick Meiggs (1866 ...

, a classics fellow at Balliol College, Oxford; they married in 1941. From 1946, they were in charge of

Holywell Manor, Oxford Holywell Manor is a historic building in central Oxford, England, in the parish of Holywell. It currently houses some of Balliol College's postgraduate student population. It is on the corner of Manor Road and St Cross Road, next to St C ...

, an annexe of Balliol, housing fifty undergraduates; although finding housework dull, Gregg was "a dashing hostess". During this time, Gregg daily researched at the Bodleian Library; her first book, ''A Social and Economic History of Britain 1760-1950'', became a standard reference work, and her "definitive" biographies of King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

and the regicide

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

were well-regarded, C. V. Wedgwood, herself an expert on 17th century English history and author of many books on the period, calling the former "the fullest and most carefully compiled that we are ever likely to have".

Personal life

Gregg and her husband, Russell Meiggs, had two daughters. She was survived by them, and by seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Works

Gregg's published works concentrated on the period of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

s of the 17th century and the history of social life in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. Her writings include: *''King Charles I'': Biography of

. *''Free-Born John'': Biography of

. *''Modern Britain'': A social and economic history since 1760. *''The Welfare State'': An economic and social history of Great Britain from 1945 to the present day (see

Welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...

). *''Oliver Cromwell'': Biography of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

. *''The Chain of History'': The story of the main links in the chain of man's development from the Stone Age to the end of the 19th century. *''Black Death to Industrial Revolution'': A Social and Economic History of England from the time of the Black Death to the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

References

External links

Obituary in ''The Guardian''Obituary in ''The Times''
1909 births 2006 deaths 20th-century British historians British women historians 20th-century British women writers {{UK-historian-stub