John William Fortescue

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For other uses, see John Fortescue (disambiguation).

The Hon. Sir John William Fortescue (1859 – 1938) was a British statesman and historian. He was the Librarian and Archivist at Windsor Castle and historian of the British Army. He was an honorary fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge and a K.C.V.O.

1 Biography
2 Works
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Biography

He was born was born in 1859, the son of the third Earl Fortescue. His family owned the area around Simonsbath for much of the 20th century.^[1]

Fortescue was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was married in 1914 to Winifred Beech, of Barlavington, West Sussex, but they did not have children.

Fortescue is best known for his monumental work on the British Army, which he wrote between 1899 and 1930. During most of this time (from 1905 to 1926) he was working as the librarian of Windsor Castle. In 1911, he was elected to deliver the Ford Lectures at Oxford University.

[edit] Works

Fortescue, J. W., (1895) History of the 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own)
Fortescue, J. W., (1899–1930) A History of the British Army in 20 volumes. A history of the British Army from the Norman Conquest to the First World War.
Fortescue, J. W., (1909) County Lieutenancies and the Army 1803–1814
Fortescue, J. W., (1930–32) Royal Army Service Corps. A history of transport and supply in the British Army