Raymond Carr facts for kids

Sir Albert Raymond Maillard Carr (11 April 1919 – 19 April 2015) was an English historian. He was known for his studies on the history of Spain, Latin America, and Sweden. From 1968 to 1987, he was the head of St Antony's College, Oxford, known as the Warden.

Early Life and Education

Raymond Carr was born on 11 April 1919 in Bath, Somerset, England. His parents were Reginald Henry Maillard Carr and Marion Carr. He went to Brockenhurst School, which was a public secondary school in Hampshire. Later, he studied at Christ Church, Oxford, a famous university.

A Career in History

Raymond Carr began his teaching career at University College London in 1945. After that, he returned to Oxford University. He became a Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford from 1946 to 1953. Then, he was a Fellow at New College, Oxford from 1953 to 1964.

Leading the Latin American Centre

From 1964 to 1968, he directed Oxford's Latin American Centre. He also became a professor of Latin American History at the university in 1967.

Warden of St Antony's College

In 1964, Carr became a Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford. He became the Sub-Warden in 1966 and then the Warden in 1968. He held this important position until he retired in 1987. After leaving Oxford, he taught Spanish History at New York University in 1992.

His Work as a Historian

Raymond Carr was very interested in the history of Spain, especially the 19th and 20th centuries. He also studied the history of Latin America and Sweden. Other historians, like Sir John Huxtable Elliott, said that Carr's book on Spain from 1808 to 1939 was very important for understanding that time.

His book Modern Spain, 1875-1980 was praised by the Times Literary Supplement. They called it a "turning point" in Spanish history writing.

At St Antony's College, he helped create an Iberian Centre. This centre focused on the history of Spain and Portugal. He worked with Joaquin Romero Maura there.

Carr believed that the best history is written by one person working alone. He wrote this in The Spectator in 2007.

Fox Hunting Books

Besides history, Raymond Carr also wrote about fox hunting. He wrote two books on the topic: English Fox Hunting: A History (1976) and Fox-Hunting (1982), which he wrote with his wife, Sara Carr.

Awards and Honours

Raymond Carr received many awards for his work.

• He became a Fellow of the British Academy in 1978.
• In 1983, he received the Order of Alfonso X el Sabio from King Juan Carlos of Spain.
• In 1999, he won the Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences. This is a very important award in Spain.
• He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1987, which means he could use the title "Sir."
• He was also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Literature.

Family Life

In 1950, Raymond Carr married Sara Ann Mary Strickland. They had three sons and one daughter: Adam Henry Maillard Carr (born 1951), Matthew Xavier Maillard Carr (1953-2011), Laura Selina Madeline Carr (born 1954), and Alexander Rallion Charles Carr (born 1958). Matthew became a portrait artist.

Raymond Carr passed away on 19 April 2015, at the age of 96.

Selected Works

Here are some of the books Raymond Carr wrote or edited:

• Spain 1808–1939, Oxford University Press, 1966
• Latin American Affairs (ed.), Oxford University Press, 1970
• English Fox Hunting: A History, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1976
• The Spanish Tragedy: the Civil War in Perspective, 1977
• Spain: Dictatorship to Democracy (with Juan Pablo Fusi), 1979
• Modern Spain: 1875-1980, 1980
• Fox-Hunting (with Sara Carr), Oxford University Press, 1982
• The Spanish Civil War: A History in Pictures (ed.), New York, W. W. Norton & Co., 1986
• Spain: A History (ed.), 2000

Carr also wrote many book reviews for magazines like the New York Review of Books and The Spectator.

See also

In Spanish: Raymond Carr para niños