Charles Thomas (historian)
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Antony Charles Thomas, (Born April 26, 1928[1]), Professor of Cornish Studies at Exeter University and first Director of the Institute of Cornish Studies from 1971 until his retirement in 1991. He was recognised as a Bard of the Cornish Gorseth with the name Gwas Godhyan in 1953.[2].
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[edit] Birth and education
He was born April 26, 1928, son of Donald Woodroffe Thomas and Viva Warrington Thomas, his wife.
He was educated at Winchester College and Corpus Christi College, Oxford, receiving a BA Honours degree in Jurisprudence. He received a Diploma in Prehistoric Archaeology from the University of London and was appointed a Fellow of University College, London in 1993. He received a Doctor of Literature degree from Oxford University in 1983[1].
[edit] Academic career
[edit] Before ICS
He was Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh from 1957 to 1967. From 1967 to 1971, he was Professor of Archaeology, University of Leicester. During this period, he became a FSA in 1960 and was awarded a Leverhulme Fellowship[3] for 1965 to 1967 [1].
[edit] ICS
He founded and established the Institute of Cornish Studies and launched and edited its learned journal, Cornish Studies.
He defined its field as: [4].
"the study of all aspects of man and his handiwork in the regional setting (Cornwall and Scilly), past, present and future. The development of society, industry and the landscape in our fast changing world is as much of concern … as the history of those vast topics in the recent and remote past."
In 1983, he was awarded a Doctorate on Literature by the University of Oxford. He was Sir John Rhys Fellow of the University of Oxford and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College from 1985 to 1986.
[edit] After ICS
He became an Emeritus Professor of the University of Exeter in 1993 and was awarded an Emeritus Fellowship by the Leverhulme Trust (1993-95).
[edit] Archaeological work
He was project consultant for excavations at Gwithian, Cornwall (1949 - 1963)[5].
[edit] Roles in Learned Bodies and QUANGOs
He is a Board Member of the Royal Institution of Cornwall and Honorary Librarian of its Courtney Library, having previously served as its president in 1970-1971. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, and was President of the Council for British Archaeology 1970-1973[6].
He was President of the Cornwall Archaeological Society[7] 1984–88 and of the Society for for Medieval Archaeology, 1986–89[8].
He has been President of the Society for Landscape Studies[9] since 1993. He was president of the Cornish Methodist Historical Association in 1993. He was Chairman of the Society for Church Archaeology[10], 1995–98.
He was Chairman: BBC South West Regional Advisory Council, 1975–80, of the Department of the Environment Area Archaeology Committee, Cornwall and Devon, 1975–79, Cornwall Committee for Rescue Archaeology 1976–88;
He was a Member of the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1983–97, its Acting Chairman, 1988–89 and Vice Chairman, 1991–97)[11].
[edit] Honours
- Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy 1973.
- Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 1975
- Honorary Fellow of St David’s University College, Lampeter[12], 1992.
- Honorary Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 2000.
- Honorary Doctor of Literature National University of Ireland , 1996.
- William Frend Medal[13], Society of Antiquaries of London, 1982.
- CBE (Commander of the British Empire), 1991.
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- Source: Who's who
[edit] Personal life
He is married to the writer Jessica Mann with four children [1].
[edit] Publications
[edit] Key publications (in date order)
- Christian Antiquities of Camborne, 1967.
- The Early Christian Archaeology of North Britain, 1971.
- Britain and Ireland in Early Christian Times, 1971 (with A. Small and D. Wilson).
- St Ninian’s Isle and its Treasure, 1973.
- (with D. Ivall) Military Insignia of Cornwall, 1974 (with D. Ivall).
- Christianity in Roman Britain to AD 500, 1981.
- Exploration of a Drowned Landscape, 1985.
- Celtic Britain, 1986.
- Views and Likenesses: photographers in Cornwall and Scilly 1839–70, 1988.
- Tintagel, Arthur and Archaeology, 1993.
- And Shall These Mute Stones Speak?: post-Roman inscriptions in Western Britain, 1994.
- Christian Celts, Messages and Images, 1998.
- Silent in the Shroud, 1999.
- The Penzance Market Cross, 1999.
- Whispering Reeds, 2002; (with D. R. Howlett).
- Vita Sancti Paterni, 2003.
[edit] Alphabetical list of publications (incomplete)
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[edit] References & notes
- ^ a b c d Who's who
- ^ List of new Bards during the 1950s -Gorseth Kernow official website.
- ^ Leverhulme Trust website, giving current terms for research fellowships
- ^ ISC homepage.
- ^ Gwithian, Cornwall: Excavations 1949 - 1963, project summary on English Heritage website.
- ^ University of Wales press descrition of author. and Who's who
- ^ Cornwall Archaeological Society website
- ^ Society for for Medieval Archaeology
- ^ [http://www.landscapestudies.com/page3.html Society for Landscape Studies website.
- ^ Society for Church Archaeology website
- ^ This body is now called Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England and is generally known as "English Heritage".
- ^ Now a constituent college of the University of Wales, at Lampeter
- ^ "The Frend Medal, named after its donor, our Fellow William Frend. It is awarded for contributions to knowledge of the archaeological and material remains of the early Christian Church." SAL website
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Thomas, Charles |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Thomas, Antony Charles |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Academic - Cornish and archaeological studies |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 24 April 1928 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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Categories: Education in Cornwall | Academics of the University of Exeter | Living people | British historians | Writers on the History of Cornwall | History of Cornwall | Cornish people | Cornish culture | Bards of the Cornish Gorseth | Fellows of the British Academy | 1928 births | Old Wykehamists | Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford | United Kingdom academic biography stubs
