The Classical Association (CA) is an educational organisation which aims to promote and widen access to the study of classical subjects in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Founded in 1903, the Classical Association supports and advances classical learning in schools, colleges, universities and local areas, and it has a wide membership. The Classical Association is a member of the Council for Subject Associations and is a registered charity.

Foundation

The Association was founded on 19 December 1903 at a public meeting held at University College London, and its objects are defined in its constitution as: # The advancement of education by the promotion, development and maintenance of classical studies # To increase public awareness of the contribution and importance of classics to education and public life. It was founded with the name "The Classical Association of England and Wales" but the name was soon changed to "The Classical Association". The incumbent Chair of the Classical Association Council is Professor Judith Mossman.

Activities

The Association is a major provider of grants to classical projects in the UK. It provides financial support for outreach and engagement projects, which seek to increase access to classics, widen participation and pursue equality, diversity and inclusion objectives in UK classics. It awarded more than £2 million of grants between 2003 and 2023. The Classical Association sponsors an annual Conference, which is hosted each year by a different UK university and brings together everybody from career classicists to teachers, independent researchers, students of all ages and anybody interested in the ancient world, to share research, exchange knowledge and professional practice and celebrate the work of the classics community. The Classical Association Teaching Board (CATB), made up of teachers, examiners, subject representatives, academics, curriculum providers and practitioners, was established in 2015 to support teachers of classical subjects and ancient history at all levels. The Classical Association provides professional development, resources, grants and support networks to teachers and students, as well as organising several annual competitions and running its own podcast, ''The Classics Podcast.'' Across England and Wales, the Classical Association has more than 25 affiliated local branches, which organise a variety of classical activities and have their own presidents, membership and communities. The Association awards its prestigious annual CA Prize to the person, group, or project whose work is felt to have raised the profile of Classics in the public eye, thereby recognising outstanding contributions to the promotion of Classics in the UK. Former winners include Tom Holland (author), Caroline Lawrence, Cora Beth Frasier,

Mary Beard (classicist) Dame Winifred Mary Beard (born 1 January 1955) is an English classicist specialising in Ancient Rome. She is a trustee of the British Museum and formerly held a personal professorship of classics at the University of Cambridge. She is a fellow ...

, Mai Musié,

Natalie Haynes Natalie Louise Haynes (born 1974) is an English writer, broadcaster, Classics, classicist, and comedian. Early life Haynes was born in Birmingham, where she attended the private King Edward VI High School for Girls. She grew up in Bournville. ...

, Rupert Goold, Gregory Doran and Michael Scott.

Publications

The Association publishes three journals: ''The Classical Review'', ''The Classical Quarterly'' and ''Greece & Rome'', and, following its merger with the Joint Association of Classical Teachers in 2015, the CA took over publication of JACT's journals, the ''Journal of Classics Teaching'' (online only) and ''Omnibus''. The CA also commissions titles in the ''New Surveys in the Classics'' series (published by Cambridge University Press). The Association celebrated its centenary in 2003 by publishing a book, ''The Classical Association: the First Century 1903–2003'', edited by Dr Christopher Stray; this includes a history of the association and studies of various aspects of its activities over its first century, including an account of the Classical Association of Scotland.

List of Honorary Presidents

*Sir Richard Henn Collins (1903– ) * Lord Halsbury (1905-6) *

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), known as Lord Curzon (), was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, explorer and writer who served as Viceroy of India ...

(1906–7) * S. H. Butcher (1907-8) *

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...

(1908–9) *

Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer, (; 26 February 1841 – 29 January 1917) was a British statesman, diplomat and colonial administrator. He served as the British controller-general in Egypt during 1879, part of the international control whic ...

(1909–10) *Sir Archibald Geikie (1910–11) * Edward Hicks (1911–12) *Henry Montague Butler (1912–13) * Frederic Kenyon (1913–14) *Sir William Ridgeway (1914–15) *Sir William Richmond (1915–16) * James Bryce, Viscount Bryce (1916–17) *

Gilbert Murray George Gilbert Aimé Murray (2 January 1866 – 20 May 1957) was an Australian-born British classical scholar and public intellectual, with connections in many spheres. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greec ...

(1917–18) *Henry Fisher (1918–19) *Sir

William Osler Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet, (; July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a Canadian physician and one of the "Big Four" founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Osler created the first Residency (medicine), residency program for speci ...

(1919– ) * Walter Leaf (1921– ) * Alfred, 1st Viscount Milner (1921–22) *

John William Mackail John William Mackail (26 August 1859 – 13 December 1945) was a Scottish academic of Oxford University and reformer of the British education system. He is most often remembered as a scholar of Virgil and as the official biographer of the so ...

(1923–4) *

Robert Crewe-Milnes Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe (12 January 185820 June 1945), known as The Honourable Robert Milnes from 1863 to 1885, The Lord Houghton from 1885 to 1895 and as The Earl of Crewe from 1895 to 1911, was a British Lib ...

, Marquess of Crewe (1923–24) * John Percival Postgate (1925–6) *

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (3 August 186714 December 1947), was a British statesman and Conservative politician who was prominent in the political leadership of the United Kingdom between the world wars. He was prime ministe ...

(1925-26–) * Gordon, Viscount Hewart (1926–27) * Robert Seymour Conway (1927–28) *

D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson CB FRS FRSE (2 May 1860 – 21 June 1948) was a Scottish biologist, mathematician and classics scholar. He was a pioneer of mathematical and theoretical biology, travelled on expeditions to the Bering Strait ...

(1928–29) * William Temple, Archbishop of York (1929–30) *

Albert Curtis Clark Albert Curtis Clark, (21 February 1859 – 5 February 1937) was an English classical scholar, who specialised in Latin literature, Cicero, and the New Testament. From 1913 to 1934, he was Corpus Christi Professor of Latin at the University of Ox ...

(1930–31) * William David Ross (1932) *Sir George Macdonald (1932– ) * William Inge (1933–34) * Cyril Bailey (1934–35) *

Leo Amery Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery (22 November 1873 – 16 September 1955), also known as L. S. Amery, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician and journalist. During his career, he was known for his interest in ...

(1935–36) * Terrot Reaveley Glover (1937–38) *Sir Stephen Gaselee (diplomat) (1940–1) *Sir Richard Livingstone (1941–2) * T. S. Eliot (1942–3) *John Sheppard (1943– ) * Maurice Bowra (1945– ) *Sir Frank Adcock (1948–9) * Lord Soulbury (1949– ) *

Harold Nicolson Sir Harold George Nicolson (21 November 1886 – 1 May 1968) was a British politician, writer, broadcaster and gardener. His wife was Vita Sackville-West. Early life and education Nicolson was born in Tehran, Persia, the youngest son of dipl ...

(1951–2) *William Calder (1952–3) * Lord Samuel (1953–4) *

(1954–5) *Dr G. M. Young (1955–6) *Sir Harold Iaris Bell (1956–7) * John Spedan Lewis (1957–8) * Dorothy Tarrant (1958–9) *Sir Cyril Hinshelwood (1959– ) * Lord Hailsham (1961–2) * William Beare (1962–3) *Professor E. R. Dodds (1963–4) *Sir Basil Blackwell (1964–5) *Professor Sir Roger Mynors (1965–6) * Dilys Powell (1966–7) *Professor W. K. C. Guthrie (1967–8) * Montague Woodhouse (1968–9) *Professor F. W. Walbank (1969–70) *Sir John Hackett (1970–1) *Patrick Wilkinson (1971–2) * Lord Boyle of Handsworth (1972–3) *Professor Moses Finley (1973–4) * Dom David Knowles (1974–5) *Professor Kenneth Dover (1975–6) *Professor

David Daube David Daube (8 February 1909, in Freiburg, Germany – 24 February 1999, in Berkeley, California) was the twentieth century's preeminent scholar of ancient law. He combined a familiarity with many legal systems, particularly Roman law and biblic ...

(1976–7) *Dr

Michael Grant (author) Michael Grant (21 November 1914 – 4 October 2004) was an English classicist, Professor of Humanity at the University of Edinburgh, numismatist, and author of numerous books on ancient history. His 1956 translation of Tacitus's '' Annals of I ...

(1977–8) *Professor Brinley Rees (1978–9) * Lord Wolfenden (1979–80) *Professor R. D. Williams (1980–1) *Sir David Hunt (1981–2) *Professor E. J. Kenney (1982–3) *Professor Raymond Williams (1983–4) *Professor Eric Handley (1984–5) *Sir Nicholas Goodison (1985–6) * Professor Norma Miller (1986–7) *Tony Harrison (1987–8) *Professor Patricia Easterling (1988–9) *Sir Jeremy Morse (1989–90) *Professor George Kerferd (1990–1) *Lord Robert Runcie (1991–2) *Professor Fergus Millar (1992–3) *Colin Haycraft (1993–4) *Professor David West (1994–5) *Anthony Cleaver (1995–6) * Carol Handley (1996–7) * Lindsey Davis, historical novelist (1997–8) *Professor Oliver Taplin (1998–9) * Emma Kirkby (1999–2000) *Professor Peter Wiseman (2000–1) * Philip Howard (2001–2) *Dr Peter Jones (classicist) (2002–3) * Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield (2003–4) *Professor Malcolm Schofield (2006–7) * Robert Harris (2007–8) *Professor Richard Seaford (2008–9) *Dr Richard Stoneman (2009–10) *Professor Christopher Rowe (2010–11) *Sir Peter Stothard (2011–12) *Professor Robin Osborne (2012–13) *

Martha Kearney Martha Catherine Kearney (born 8 October 1957) is a British-Irish journalist and broadcaster. She was the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's lunchtime news programme '' The World at One'' for 11 years. In April 2018, Kearney joined the presenting ...

(2013–14) *Professor P. J. Rhodes (2014–15). *Professor Robert Crawford (2015–16) *Professor Robert Fowler (2016–17) *Dr

Rowan Williams Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet, who served as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012. Previously the Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of W ...

(2017–18) *Dame Professor Mary Beard (2018–19) * Mari Williams (2020–1) *

Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...

(2021–2) * Professor M. M. McCabe (2022–3) * Professor Anne Carson (2023–4) * Professor Stephen Halliwell (2024-5)

List of Council Chairs

* Professor Douglas Cairns ( -2024) * Professor Judith Mossman (2024-present)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Classical associations and societies Education in Hertfordshire 1903 establishments in the United Kingdom Learned societies of the United Kingdom Organisations based in Hertfordshire Organizations established in 1903 Rickmansworth