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Charles Ross (historian)

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For other people with the same name, see Charles Ross (disambiguation).

Charles Derek Ross (1924 – 1986) was an English historian of the Late Middle Ages.

Early life

Ross was born in Wakefield and educated at the grammar school. He began reading History at Brasenose College, Oxford in 1942.[1][note 1] This was followed by doctoral studies under K. B. McFarlane—"whose work was then transforming historical understanding of later medieval England"[1][note 2] —and Ross's resultant DPhil was entitled The Yorkshire Baronage, 1399–1425.[1]

Career

Following his doctorate, Ross began working at the University of Bristol, where he would remain for the rest of his academic life, in 1947. Originally appointed Assistant Lecturer, he worked beneath David Douglas. Ross's final position at Bristol was as Professor of Medieval History, with a personal chair.[1]

Originally teaching alongside Margaret Sharp (daughter of T.F. Tout), he became reader and then Professor of Medieval History Originally teaching alongside Margaret Sharp (daughter of T.F. Tout), he became reader and then Professor of Medieval History

She taught jointly with a much younger man, Charles Ross, who was a 15th-century historian, and I opted to do the special subject which they taught together—I suppose looking back on it, as far as we were concerned quite easily, but from their point of view it was probably rather difficult, because he was very young and she was in the latter stages of her career. But they did it extremely well.[3]

Ralph A. Griffiths recalling Ross and Sharp's joint Special Subject at Bristol.

Ross took early retirement in 1982 but maintained close ties with the University and continued his research. Indeed, he had contracted to write another book shortly before his death.[1]

Publishing

Ross published predominantly on the history of the later medieval English nobility, royalty and the Wars of the Roses. His biographies of Edward IV from 1974, and Richard III seven years later were described by The Times as respectively "scholarly and detailed" and perceptive". They fused easy reading, suitable for a general readership, with the minute approach to detail and sourcing required in a high-end piece of scholarship.[1]

Personal life and death

Ross remained at Bristol until his death. For about a year before then he shared his apartment with Pamela Jefferis—variously described as an insurance agent,[4] a financial consultant[5]—and both were now divorcees.[5]

Death

On the evening of Thursday, 3 April 1986, when, at the age of 64, he was found dead in his Clifton, Bristol, apartment. The cause of death was a single stab wound in the back, which was later revealed to have pierced an artery.[6][5] Witnesses later told how she was overheard crying in his flat on the night of his death.[7][5] Neighbours called the police, who broke into Ross's flat and found Jefferis next to him.[5]

Jefferis, from Bishopstone, a mother of three at the time of the killing,[8] was questioned by police into Friday night,[6] and the following Monday she was remanded in custody at the Magistrates' Court for Ross's murder.[4] On Saturday 11 July she was charged and sent to trial.[8]

At her trial at Bristol Crown Court, Jefferis pled guilty to manslaughter on account of diminished responsibility.[7] Defence counsel argued that it was unlikely the true facts surrounding that night would ever be known, suggesting that Jefferis suffered from such emotional collapse that she had erased all memory of events, a condition recognised by psychiatrists, he claimed.[5] The court heard that she and Ross had been in a relationship—described as often "stormy"[7]―for around 12 years by the time of his death. Furthermore, both were apparently alcoholics.[7] Mr Justice Stuart-Smith, presiding, commented that "it is quite clear that alcoholism was at the root of this, it degraded you both ... I do not suppose anyone will ever know what led you to putting that knife in him".[7] Jefferis was said to have "cracked" under the strain the relationship put upon her;[7] she was sent to prison for four years.[5]

Influence and reputation

The Times described his editorial method as being based on a "meticulous concern for detail".[1] The Times wrote after his death of his "amusing and stimulating" lecturing style and how his teaching inspired many of his students to follow his path.[1]

Ross's pupils included Michael Hicks,[9] Anne Crawford[10] and Ralph Griffiths.[11]

A book of memorial essays—originally intended as a Festschrift—edited by Professor Ralph Griffiths and Mr James Sherborne was published the year of Ross's death.[1]

Ross's obituarist concluded that "he had a great sense of humour as well as a sharp wit, and he had a fund of good stories".[1]

Bibliography

  • 'Materials for the Study of Baronial Incomes in Fifteenth-Century England,' Economic History Review, NS, vol.6 no. 2 (1953) (with T.B. Pugh)
  • 'The Estates and Finances of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick,' Dugdale Society Occasional papers No. 12 (1956)
  • Fifteenth Century England, 1399-1509: Studies in Politics and Society, Manchester 1972 (with Stanley Chrimes and Ralph Griffiths)
  • Edward IV (1974) ISBN 0-413-28680-0
  • The Wars of the Roses: A Concise History (1976) ISBN 0-500-25049-9
  • Richard III (1981) ISBN 0-413-29530-3

Notes

  1. ^ Due to British Army requirements, the college had been sequestered for the duration, so Ross's undergraduate degree was studied for at Christ Church, Oxford.[1]
  2. ^ The medieval historian Christine Carpenter has written that "it is hard to exaggerate the impact of McFarlane's work, especially at Oxford where he taught. A whole generation of students there was inspired to work on what had been a very neglected century; nearly all the political historians of fourteenth and fifteenth century England today, including the present writer, are, academically speaking, the children or grandchildren, even great grandchildren, of McFarlane."[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Obituary 1986, p. 18.
  2. ^ Carpenter 1997, p. 18.
  3. ^ I. H. R. 2008.
  4. ^ a b Daily Telegraph 1986b, p. 6.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Home News 1986, p. 3.
  6. ^ a b Daily Telegraph 1986a, p. 2.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Daily Telegraph 1986d, p. 3.
  8. ^ a b Daily Telegraph 1986c, p. 2.
  9. ^ Hicks. M.A., Richard III & his Rivals: Magnates and their Motives in the War of the Roses, London 1991, xii
  10. ^ Crawford, A., Yorkist Lord John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, c. 1425 – 1485, London 2010, Acknowledgments
  11. ^ Chrimes, S.B., Ross, C.D. & Griffiths, R.A. (eds), Fifteenth Century England, 1399–1509: Studies in Politics and Society, Manchester 1972, xii

Sources

  • Carpenter, C. (1997). The Wars of the Roses: Politics and the Constitution in England, c. 1437–1509. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-31874-7.
  • Daily Telegraph (5 April 1986a). "Woman Quizzed on Stabbing". Daily Telegraph. OCLC 49632006.
  • Daily Telegraph (7 April 1986b). "Tutor Murder Charge Remand". Daily Telegraph. OCLC 49632006.
  • Daily Telegraph (12 April 1986c). "Tutor Murder Charge". Daily Telegraph. OCLC 49632006.
  • Daily Telegraph (1 November 1986d). "Four Years for Lover who Killed Historian". Daily Telegraph. OCLC 49632006.
  • Home News (1 November 1986). "Historian killed by 'Distraught' Alcoholic Lover". The Independent. 185201487.
  • I. H. R. (2008). "Interview with Professor Ralph Griffiths: Making History". archives.history.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  • Obituary (8 April 1986). "Prof Charles Ross". The Times.
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