Barbara Yorke facts for kids

Barbara Yorke is a well-known historian. She was born in 1951. She studies the history of Anglo-Saxon England. This is a period of English history from about 450 to 1066 AD.

She is an emeritus professor at the University of Winchester. This means she has retired but still keeps her title. She teaches about early Medieval history. She is also a member of the Royal Historical Society. This is a group for historians. She is also an honorary professor at University College London.

Her Life and Studies

Barbara Yorke's birth name was Barbara Anne Elizabeth Troubridge. She went to Horsham High School for Girls. Later, she studied history and archaeology at Exeter University.

University Studies

She earned both her first degree and her Ph.D. at Exeter. A Ph.D. is a very high university degree. It means you have done a lot of research. She studied with important professors there. These included Professor Frank Barlow for medieval history. Lady Aileen Fox taught her archaeology.

Early Research

Yorke started her Ph.D. studies in 1973. Her research looked at Anglo-Saxon kingship. She studied how kings ruled from 400 to 899 AD. Her work was very new and important. It helped people understand old royal family trees.

Becoming a Professor

In 1977, Yorke started working at King Alfred’s College. This college is now the University of Winchester. She became a Reader in 1993. Then, in 2001, she became a Professor. At that time, only about 1,700 women in the UK were professors. There were 11,000 professors in total.

Honoring Her Work

In 2014, a special conference was held for her retirement. It was called Saints, Rulers and Landscapes in Early Medieval Wessex. Wessex was an important Anglo-Saxon kingdom. Some of the talks from this conference were published in a book. This book was called The Land of the English Kin. It was a special gift to her from former students.

What She Studies

Barbara Yorke has made big contributions to history. She studies how people in later times thought about the Middle Ages. This is called 'medievalism'.

King Alfred's Story

She has especially looked at King Alfred the Great. She studies how Alfred's image changed over time. This includes from the time after the Norman Conquest to the Victorian era. She calls this idea 'Alfredism'. It shows how Alfred's story has been used and seen in different ways.

Important Roles

Barbara Yorke has held several important jobs in the academic world. These include:

• Vice-President of the Royal Archaeological Institute.
• Member of the Board for the International Society of Anglo-Saxonists.
• Member of the Council of the Society of Antiquaries.
• Member of the Fabric Advisory Committee for Winchester Cathedral.

Her Books

Here are some of the books Barbara Yorke has written:

• Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England. London, Seaby, 1990. ISBN: 1-85264-027-8
• Wessex in the Early Middle Ages. Continuum International, 1995. ISBN: 978-0-7185-1856-1
• Bishop Aethelwold: His Career and Influence. The Boydell Press, 1997. ISBN: 978-0-85115-705-4
• The Anglo-Saxons. Sutton, 1999. ISBN: 978-0-7509-2220-3
• Nunneries and the Anglo-Saxon Royal Houses. Continuum International, 2003. ISBN: 0-8264-6040-2
• The Conversion of Britain: Religion, Politics and Society in Britain, 600–800. Longman, 2006. ISBN: 0-582-77292-3