John McManners | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1916-12-25)25 December 1916 Ferryhill, England |
| Died | 4 November 2006(2006-11-04) (aged 89) Oxford, England |
| Other names | Jack McManners |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingHugh McManners |
| Awards | Ordre national du Mérite (2001) |
| Ecclesiastical career | |
| Religion | Christianity (Anglican) |
| Church | Church of England |
| Ordained |
|
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | History |
| Sub-discipline | Ecclesiastical history |
| Institutions | |
| Military career | |
| Service | British Army |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 1st Battalion,Royal Northumberland Fusiliers |
| Conflicts | Second World War |
John McMannersCBE FBA FAHA (25 December 1916 – 4 November 2006) was a British clergyman and historian of religion who specialized in the history of the church and other aspects of religious life in 18th-century France. He wasRegius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at theUniversity of Oxford from 1972 to 1984. He also served as Fellow and Chaplain ofAll Souls College, Oxford, from 1964 to 2001.
McManners, known as Jack to his family and friends, was born on 25 December 1916 inFerryhill,County Durham, to Joseph and Ann McManners. His mother was a school teacher who converted his coal miner father to the Anglican faith. His father entered the priesthood, eventually becoming the vicar of Ferryhill and subsequently a canon ofDurham Cathedral.McManners attendedSpennymoor Grammar School before winning anexhibition toSt Edmund Hall, Oxford, in 1936. While at Oxford he took aBachelor of Arts degree withfirst-class honours in modern history in 1939.
In September 1939 Great Britain entered theSecond World War prompting McManners immediately to volunteer for military service. He joined his local regiment theRoyal Northumberland Fusiliers, where he made his name as a winger in their football team, and completed basic training. He was sent to the OCTU at Fenham Barracks where he was put through basic training for a second time, and commissioned. McManners served in theWestern Desert Campaign and was at the Siege of Tobruk. He was made Adjutant of the First Battalion, under Commanding Officer Lt Col Forbes-Watson.
McManners also served with the 210 British Liaison Unit (Greek Mission) inAlexandria to help prepareGreece for the time after the war.
While in the military McManners decided to follow his father's vocation and becomeordained into theChurch of England. He studied atSt Chad's College, Durham, and was ordained as adeacon in 1947 and apriest in 1948. He first served ascurate ofLeeds Parish Church for 10 months. Then, in 1948, invited back to his alma mater to be the Chaplain and lecture in History.
In 1951 he married Sarah Errington[1] whom he met while studying in Durham. They had two sons,Hugh and Peter, and two daughters, Ann and Helen.
In 1956 he accepted the chair of History at theUniversity of Tasmania inHobart,Australia. He remained for four years before moving to theUniversity of Sydney as the chair of History from 1960 to 1965.
He returned toEngland andOxford University from 1965 to 1966 to be a senior visiting fellow atAll Souls College, Oxford. Then he served as a professor in history at theUniversity of Leicester. In 1972 McManners was appointed to theRegius Professor of Ecclesiastical History atOxford and returned there, also to serve inChrist Church Cathedral, Oxford. He retired from teaching in 1984 and was became a chaplain at All Souls College, where he was appointed a college fellow in 1986. It was not until 2001, due to health concerns, that he resigned as chaplain; the college then elected him to an honorary fellowship. He died on 4 November 2006.
In 1960 McManners's first book,French Ecclesiastical Society Under the Ancient Regime: A Study of Angers in the Eighteenth Century, established him as a respected scholar of French history. It was a detailed examination of church life on a local level in a small provincial city. The study of common society contrasted with most of the works of the time that only concentrated on the upper class.[2]
While at Leicester he publishedFrench Revolution and the Church andChurch and State in France, 1870–1914.[3]
He won the 1982Wolfson History Prize forDeath and the Enlightenment. In a 1986 review Joseph Tempesta ofIthaca College describes it as a study "extensively researched" that "brings the era to life".[4] It was hailed byThe Times as "one of the ten best non-fiction books of the year".[2]
McManners was the general editor of theOxford Illustrated History of Christianity that was published in 1990. It was a best seller with excellent scholarly standards.[5]
The two-volumeChurch and Society in Eighteenth-Century France published in 1998 "represents an enormous achievement" as reported by Raymond Mentzer ofMontana State University.[6] It is two volumes, more than 1600 pages of text documenting four generations of pre-revolutionaryFrance and the culmination of more than 50 years of research.
In 2002 McManners published the autobiographicalFusilier: Recollections and Reflections, 1939–1945 documenting his experiences during the war.
His final book,All Souls and the Shipley Case, 1808–1810 documented an early-19th-century sex scandal atAll Souls College. When doing unrelated research McManners found a sealed packet of letters that became the basis for this book.[2]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History 1972–1984 | Succeeded by |
| Professional and academic associations | ||
| Preceded by | President of theEcclesiastical History Society 1977–1978 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Wolfson History Prize 1982 | Succeeded by |
| Succeeded by | ||
