Christopher N. L. Brooke
CBE FSA FBA FRHistS
Born
Christopher Nugent Lawrence Brooke

(1927-06-23)23 June 1927
Cambridge, England[1]
Died27 December 2015(2015-12-27) (aged 88)
TitleDixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History (1977–1994)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1951; died 2014)​
Parents
Academic background
Alma materGonville and Caius College, Cambridge
InfluencesDavid Knowles[2]
Academic work
DisciplineHistorian
Sub-discipline
Institutions

Christopher Nugent Lawrence Brooke (23 June 1927 – 27 December 2015) was a British medieval historian. From 1974 to 1994 he was Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Cambridge.

Early life and education

Born on 23 June 1927, Brooke was the son of Zachary Nugent Brooke (1883–1946) and his wife Rosa Grace Brooke (1888–1964). Following schooling at Winchester College, Brooke undertook his undergraduate work at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he studied with David Knowles.[2]

Academic career

Brooke spent his early years as head of department at Westfield College, University of London, before taking up a post at Caius from 1977 to 1994, where he remained a life fellow. He held the position of Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge and before becoming a professor emeritus.[3] He was President of the Ecclesiastical History Society (1968–1969).[4]

Personal life

Brooke met his future wife and fellow medievalist Rosalind Brooke (née Clark) at Cambridge in 1951. She died in 2014.[1][5]

Death

Brooke died on 27 December 2015 at the age of 88.[6]

Selected works

Among Brooke's publications are:

  • The Letters of John of Salisbury. Vol. 1, The Early Letters (1153-1161) (1955)[7] revised/co-editor
  • The Investiture Disputes (1958)[8]
  • Carte Nativorum: A Peterborough Abbey Cartulary of the Fourteenth Century (1960)[9]
  • From Alfred to Henry III 871–1272 (1961)[10]
  • The Saxon and Norman Kings (1963)[11]
  • Gilbert Foliot and His Letters (1965)[12]
  • Religious Sentiment and Church Design in the Later Middle Ages (1967)[13]
  • Archbishop Lanfranc, the English Bishops and the Council of London of 1075 (1967)[14]
  • The Heads of Religious Houses, England and Wales: Volume 1, 940–1216 (1972)[15]
  • London, 800–1216: The Shaping of a City (1975)[16]
  • The Letters of John of Salisbury. Vol. 2, The Later Letters (1163–1180) (1979)[17] co-editor
  • The Architectural History of Winchester Cathedral/The Normans as Cathedral Builders (1980)[18][19]
  • Councils and Synods, with Other Documents Relating to the English Church: Volume I: A.D. 871–1204 (1981)[20] in 2 vols.
  • Monasteries of the World: The Rise and Development of the Monastic Tradition (1982)
  • A History of Gonville and Caius College (1985)[21]
  • The Church and the Welsh Border in the Central Middle Ages (1986)[22]
  • Oxford and Cambridge (1988) (co-author with Roger Highfield)
  • The Medieval Idea of Marriage (1989)[23]
  • Hugh the Chanter: The History of the Church of York, 1066–1127 (1990)[24]
  • A History of the University of Cambridge. Vol. 4, 1870–1990 (1992)[25]
  • Churches and Churchmen in Medieval Europe (1999)[26]
  • The Monastic Constitutions of Lanfranc (2002)[27]

References

  1. 1 2 "Professor Christopher Brooke – Obituary". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Professor Christopher Brooke: Interview Transcript". Making History. London: Institute of Historical Research. 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  3. ↑ "Professor Christopher Brooke CBE, FBA, Hon VPSA". Gonville & Caius College. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  4. ↑ Past Presidents - Ecclesiastical History Society
  5. ↑ Abulafia, David (26 November 2014). "In memoriam: Dr Rosalind Brooke". hist.cam.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Professor Christopher Brooke". thetimes.com. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  7. ↑ The letters of John of Salisbury. World Cat. OCLC 48318911. Accessed on 10 March 2009
  8. ↑ The investiture disputes. World Cat. OCLC 221050799.
  9. ↑ Carte nativorum : a Peterborough Abbey cartulary of the fourteenth century. World Cat. OCLC 185781571.
  10. ↑ From Alfred to Henry III 871–1272. World Cat. OCLC 185648057. Accessed on 10 March 2009
  11. ↑ The Saxon and Norman Kings. World Cat. OCLC 63447340.
  12. ↑ Gilbert Foliot and his letters. World Cat. OCLC 64512070.
  13. ↑ Religious sentiment and church design in the later Middle Ages. World Cat. OCLC 66298679.
  14. ↑ Archbishop Lanfranc, the English bishops and the Council of London of 1075. World Cat. OCLC 49413804.
  15. ↑ The heads of religious houses, England and Wales. [1], 940–1216. World Cat. OCLC 270781519.
  16. ↑ London, 800–1216 : the shaping of a city. World Cat. OCLC 1377073.
  17. ↑ The letters of John of Salisbury. Vol. 2, The later letters (1163–1180). World Cat. OCLC 186720386.
  18. ↑ The architectural history of Winchester Cathedral. World Cat. OCLC 7097982.
  19. ↑ The Normans as cathedral builders. World Cat. OCLC 7098010.
  20. ↑ Councils and synods, with other documents relating to the English church, I, A.D. 871–1204. World Cat. OCLC 224372669.
  21. ↑ A history of Gonville and Caius college. World Cat. OCLC 185477127. Accessed on 10 March 2009
  22. ↑ The church and the Welsh border in the central Middle Ages. World Cat. OCLC 14358922.
  23. ↑ The medieval idea of marriage. World Cat. OCLC 18947995.
  24. ↑ Hugh the chanter : the history of the church of York, 1066–1127. World Cat. OCLC 213035056.
  25. ↑ A history of the University of Cambridge. Vol. 4, 1870–1990. World Cat. OCLC 186482642.
  26. ↑ Churches and churchmen in medieval Europe. World Cat. OCLC 185660510.
  27. ↑ The monastic constitutions of Lanfranc. World Cat. OCLC 48154671.