George Clark (historian) facts for kids

Sir George Norman Clark (born February 27, 1890, died February 6, 1979) was an English historian and a British Army officer. He was a very important history teacher at famous universities. He taught at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. He was also in charge of Oriel College, Oxford, for ten years.

Early Life and Education

George Clark was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, on February 27, 1890. His parents were James Walker Clark and Mary Clark. He went to two private schools: Bootham School in York and Manchester Grammar School.

In 1908, he started studying classics at Balliol College, Oxford. Classics is the study of ancient Greek and Roman history, language, and literature. He did very well in his studies. In 1911, he earned a top grade in his classics degree. After that, he decided to study modern history. He graduated in 1912 with another excellent degree. Later that year, he received a special research position at All Souls College, Oxford. He also spent time traveling abroad to learn different languages.

Military Service in World War I

Before the war, George Clark was part of a training group for future army officers at Oxford University. When World War I began, he joined the British Army. On August 26, 1914, he became a second lieutenant in the Post Office Rifles. He was promoted to lieutenant in May 1915. During the early part of the war, he was injured twice.

In May 1916, while fighting in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, German soldiers captured him. At that time, he was a captain. He was held as a prisoner in German towns like Gütersloh and Krefeld. While he was a prisoner, he used his time to learn more languages. He also wrote plays for his fellow prisoners to perform. One of his plays was even performed in London after the war ended. He was released when the war finished and returned to Britain.

Academic Career as a Historian

After the war, George Clark began his full-time career as a historian. In 1919, he became a Fellow and lecturer at Oriel College, Oxford. This meant he was a senior member of the college and taught students there.

In 1931, he became the first Chichele Professor of Economic History at the University of Oxford. He held this important teaching role until 1943. From 1943 to 1947, he was the Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge University. He was also a Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge. After that, from 1947 to 1957, he returned to Oxford to be the Provost of Oriel College, Oxford. A Provost is like the head of the college.

George Clark also worked on a big history project called the Oxford History of England. He was the editor who oversaw the entire series from the 1930s to the 1960s. He also wrote one of the books in the series himself. This book was called The Later Stuarts, 1660–1714, and it was published in 1934. He also wrote another famous book called The Seventeenth Century in 1929. He was also the editor of the English Historical Review twice, which is an important journal for historians.

He gave a series of lectures in 1956, which were later published as a book called War and Society in the Seventeenth Century.

Honours and Awards

George Clark received several important honours for his work. In 1936, he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA). This is a very high honour for people who study humanities and social sciences. In 1953, he was made a Knight by the Queen. This meant he could use the title "Sir" before his name. He was also an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1953, he became an honorary fellow of Trinity College Dublin.