J. E. Neale

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

J.E. Neale
Born
John Ernest Neale

(1890-12-07)7 December 1890
Liverpool
Died2 September 1975(1975-09-02) (aged 84)
SpouseElfreda Skelton
Children1 daughter, Stella

Sir John Ernest Neale FBA (7 December 1890 in Liverpool – 2 September 1975) was an English historian who specialised in Elizabethan and Parliamentary history. From 1927 to 1956, he was the Astor Professor of English History at University College London.

Academic career

Neale was trained by the political historian

Professor Emeritus
, but continued to do some academic teaching at University College London.

Sir John Neale's grave, Harrogate Cemetery

He died in 1975 and was buried in Harrogate Cemetery.[1] He had married Elfreda Skelton of Harrogate,[3] with whom he had a daughter, Stella.

Historical views

Neale was the leading Elizabethan historian of his generation.

Elizabeth I "has yet to be bettered".[5]

His painstaking research uncovered the political power of the gentry in The Elizabethan House of Commons (1949), whilst his 1948 Raleigh Lecture on ‘The Elizabethan political scene’ greatly expanded our knowledge of the politics of the reign. The two volumes on Elizabeth I and her Parliaments (1953 and 1957) explored the relationship between the Queen and her Parliaments. These were criticised by Sir Geoffrey Elton who claimed that the main preoccupation of these parliaments was the forming of Bills and the passing of Acts, not conflict between Crown and Parliament.[6] Neale's claims that these parliaments were a landmark in the evolution of Parliament was criticised by medievalists such as J. S. Roskell.[7] However Collinson notes that the conflicts which Neale wrote about did take place and that Neale's retelling of them made an exciting and unforgettable chapter in English history.[4]

Neale is well known for his thesis on the Elizabethan

Puritan MPs successfully managed to force Elizabeth's hand on many policy issues throughout her reign, including at the start. Neale is also recognised for his work in bringing to light new sources on Tudor England, and developing different ways of studying the period.[8]

Other positions held

Works

  • Queen Elizabeth (Jonathan Cape, 1934)
  • The Age of Catherine de Medici (Jonathan Cape, 1943)
  • The Elizabethan Political Scene (British Academy, 1948)
  • The Elizabethan House of Commons (Jonathan Cape, 1949)
  • Elizabeth I and her Parliaments, 1559-1581 (Jonathan Cape, 1953) vol. 1
  • Elizabeth I and her Parliaments, 1584-1601 (Jonathan Cape, 1957) vol. 2
  • Essays in Elizabethan History (Jonathan Cape, 1958)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Short biography of Neale, in Neale, J. (1971) Queen Elizabeth I. Pelican.
  2. ^ "Neale lecture tonight". University College London. 24 April 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  3. ^ "Marries Student". Singapore Daily News. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  4. ^
    doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31487. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)
  5. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8636. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)
  6. S2CID 154112833
    .
  7. doi:10.7227/BJRL.46.2.9
    .
  8. ^ "Neale, Sir John Ernest (1890–1975)". Making History. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 25 February 2009.

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=J._E._Neale&oldid=1196444736"