John Morris (historian)
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John Robert Morris (8 June 1913 – 1 June 1977) was an English historian who specialised in the study of the institutions of the Roman Empire and the history of Sub-Roman Britain. He is best known for his book The Age of Arthur (1973), which attempted to reconstruct the history of Britain and Ireland during the so-called "Dark Ages" (350–650 AD) following the Roman withdrawal, based on scattered archaeological and historical records. Much of his other work focused on Britain during this time.
Biography
Morris read modern history at
In 1952 Morris founded the historical journal
Morris was a
In 1975 Morris wrote the script "Domesday Republished" for the Look, Stranger BBC-TV series.[3][4]
Morris died on 1 June 1977 in London.
The Age of Arthur
The Age of Arthur (1973) was the first attempt by a professional historian to build a picture of Britain during the period 350–650, when
Although popular with the public, the book was heavily criticised in professional historical circles, severely damaging Morris's academic reputation in the eyes of many of his peers. David Dumville launched a famously scathing attack on Morris's methodology;[5] and while one of the most influential reviews of the book, by D. P. Kirby and J. E. Caerwyn Williams, described it as "an outwardly impressive piece of scholarship", it went on to argue that this apparent scholarship "crumbles upon inspection into a tangled tissue of fact and fantasy which is both misleading and misguided".[6] Others, such as James Campbell, were more generous, but still considered that the Age of Arthur was so misleading and full of problems that it was really only of use to professional historians who could sort the interesting ideas from the flights of fantasy.[7]
Selected works
- Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, ed. with A. H. M. Jones and J. R. Martindale:
- Volume 1 (Cambridge University Press, 1971) from 260 to 395
- Volume 2 (Cambridge University Press, 1980) from 395 to 527
- Arthurian Period Sources series, ed. John Morris:
- The Age of Arthur: Volume 1: Roman Britain and the Empire of Arthur (London: Phillimore)
- The Age of Arthur: Volume 2: The Successor States (London: Phillimore)
- The Age of Arthur: Volume 3: Church, Society and Economy (London: Phillimore)
- Arthurian period sources, vol. 1: Introduction, notes and index (London: Phillimore)
- Arthurian period sources, vol. 2: Annals and Charters (London: Phillimore)
- Arthurian period sources, vol. 3: Persons (London: Phillimore)
- Arthurian period sources, vol. 4: Places and Peoples and Saxon Archaeology (London: Phillimore)
- Arthurian period sources, vol. 5: Genealogies and texts (London: Phillimore)
- Arthurian period sources, vol. 6: Studies in Dark-Age History (London: Phillimore)
- Arthurian period sources, vol. 7: Gilda, The Ruin of Britain and Other Documents (London: Phillimore, 1978)
- Arthurian period sources, vol. 8: Nennius: British History and the Welsh Annals (London & Chichester: Phillimore, 1980)
- Londinium: London in the Roman Empire (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1982)
Notes
- ^ Morris (John) Papers Archived 25 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine at University College London
- ^ "Dr J. R. Morris: Studies in ancient history (obituary)". The Times. 10 June 1977. p. 18.
- ^ www.imdb.com
- BBC Genome, Accessed 2016-01-30
- .
- ^ Kirby, D. P.; Williams, J. E. Caerwyn (1975–76). "Review of The Age of Arthur". Studia Celtica. 10–11: 454–86.
- .