Peter Mathias, (10 January 1928 – 1 March 2016) was a British

economic historian Economic history is the study of history using methodological tools from economics or with a special attention to economic phenomena. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the application of ...

and the former Chichele Professor of

Economic History Economic history is the study of history using methodological tools from economics or with a special attention to economic phenomena. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the Applied economics ...

at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. His research focused on the history of industry,

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

, and

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

, both 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 ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. He is most well known for his publication of ''The First Industrial Nation: an Economic History of Britain 1700–1914'' (1969), which discussed not only the multiple factors that made industrialisation possible, but also how it was sustained.

Early life and education

Mathias was born in Freshford, Somerset to Jack Mathias (from

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

) and Marion (''née'') Love (from Wingfield). He attended Colston's School and

Bristol Grammar School Bristol Grammar School (BGS) is a 4–18 Mixed-sex education, mixed, Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Bristol, England. It was founded in 1532 by Royal Charter for the teaching of 'good manners and literature', endowe ...

where he became interested in

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

. In December 1945, he applied for a scholarship at

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

; instead he won an

Exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

, during summer 1946. However the college demanded that those coming up from school should have done

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...

before they arrived so he spent two years in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

as a conscript. At Cambridge, his tutor was the

medievalist The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

, Vivian Fisher, and the English economic

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 ...

, Charles Wilson. Mathias also spent the 1952–3 academic year at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, participating in the Research Center for Entrepreneurial History.

Academic career

He was elected a Research Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge, when he published his first book on the brewing industry in England. The manuscript described the importance of the technical aspects of brewing and manufacturing to the developing of the industry as a whole. Mathias then went out to complete a textbook on the history of industrialisation in Britain, ''The First Industrial Nation'' (1969). He was fellow of

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the 16 "old colleges" of the university, and was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the R ...

, from 1955 to 1968, and later an Honorary Fellow from 1987. He was Chichele Professor of Economic History at the

and fellow of

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full me ...

. There, he was editor of the ''Cambridge Economic History of Europe'' and co-founded of ''The Journal of European Economic History''. He left Oxford to become master of

Downing College, Cambridge Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 950 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to the university between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the oldest of ...

, from 1987 to 1995. Outside of research and teaching, Mathias contributed to the academic community with his positions at the Economic History Society (EHS) and the International Economic History Association (IEHA). He joined the former in his final year of undergraduate work at Cambridge. He continued to work for the EHS as Reviews Editor, Assistant Editor (1955–), Treasurer (1968–88), and President (1989–92). Meanwhile, the IEHA emerged from conferences at the

Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...

, but expanded in the 1960s. Mathias also became a member of the Datini Institute in

Prato Prato ( ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') in Tuscany, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Prato. The city lies in the northeast of Tuscany, at an elevation of , at the foot of Monte Retaia (the last peak in the Calvana ch ...

, Italy in 1967, under the direction of

Fernand Braudel Fernand Paul Achille Braudel (; 24 August 1902 – 27 November 1985) was a French historian. His scholarship focused on three main projects: ''The Mediterranean'' (1923–49, then 1949–66), ''Civilization and Capitalism'' (1955–79), and the un ...

and Federigo Melis.

Later life

After retiring in 1995, he continued on advising and researching. He was the international advisor to

Keio University , abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and President of the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation. For this work, he was granted the Order of the Rising Sun with Gold Rays in 2003. In 1998, Mathias'

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

, ''From Family Firms to Corporate Capitalism: Essays in Business and Industrial History in Honour of Peter Mathias'' was published by his former students, Kristine Bruland and Patrick O'Brien. Another Festschrift was published in 2018 entitled ''Asia and the history of the international economy : essays in memory of Peter Mathias'', edited by A. J. H. Latham and Heita Kawakatsu. Professor Mathias is also mentioned extensively in ''The Thames and I'', a memoir by the Prince (now Emperor) of Japan

Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following 2019 Japanese imperial transition, the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, ...

, since he was the prince's supervisor while Naruhito was at Merton College in Oxford (1983-1985).

Honours

Commonwealth honours

; Commonwealth honours

Foreign honours

; Foreign honours

Scholastic

; Chancellor, visitor, governor, rector and fellowships ;Honorary degrees

Memberships and Fellowships

Works

* * ''The Retailing Revolution: a History of Multiple Retailing in the Food Trades Based upon the Allied Suppliers Group of Companies'' (1967) *''The First Industrial Nation: an Economic History of Britain 1700–1914'' (1969) * (edited with A.W.H. Pearsall), ''Shipping: a survey of historical records'' (1971) * ''Science and Society 1600–1900'' (1972) *''The Transformation of England'' (1979) * (edited with D. C. Coleman) ''Enterprise and history: essays in honour of Charles Wilson'' (1984) * (edited with John A. Davis) ''The First Industrial Revolutions'' (1990) * (edited with John A. Davis) ''Innovation and technology in Europe : from the eighteenth century to the present day'' (1991) * (edited with John A. Davis) ''Enterprise and labour: from the eighteenth century to the present'' (1996) * (edited with John A. Davis) ''International trade and British economic growth : from the eighteenth century to the present day'' (1996)

Notes

References

British Academy Fellows Archive

External links

Interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 5 March 2008 and 23 September 2009 (video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathias, Peter 1928 births 2016 deaths British historians Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Fellows of Queens' College, Cambridge British economic historians Masters of Downing College, Cambridge People educated at Bristol Grammar School Chichele Professors of Economic History People educated at Colston's School Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the British Academy