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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

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 species; as well as the ...

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 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 Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...

, and addressing meetings from a coal cart, later from

Speakers' Corner A Speakers' Corner is an area where free speech public speaking, open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed. The original and best known is in the north-east corner of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park in London, England. Histor ...

in Hyde Park. Having started work as a secretary at

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

, 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 cou ...

, to take a place at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. 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 e ...

, leader of the

Levellers The Levellers were a political movement active during the English Civil War who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populism, as sh ...

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

Career

Gregg was offered a lectureship at Hillcroft College,

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of ...

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

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

began, and was posted to Warwick. There she met Russell Meiggs, a classics fellow at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

; 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, Oxford, Holywell. It currently houses some of Balliol College, Oxford, Balliol College's postgraduate student population. It is on the corner of Mano ...

, 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 The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

; 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 and the regicide Cromwell 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 or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

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

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

. Her writings include: *''King Charles I'': Biography of Charles I. *''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 (polity), 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 oppor ...

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

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

. *''The Chain of History'': The story of the main links in the chain of man's development from the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

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 The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

to the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

References

External links

Obituary in ''The Guardian''Obituary in ''The Times''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregg, Pauline 1909 births 2006 deaths 20th-century British historians British women historians 20th-century British women writers