Edward Miller (historian)
Encyclopedia
Life
He was born at Acklington ParkAcklington Park
Acklington Park in the parish of Warkworth, Northumberland, England was the birthplace of John Rushworth who achieved fame in both England and during the formation of the United States of America for compiling a series of works called Historical Collections covering the English Civil Wars...
, the son of a shepherd. He attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Morpeth
Morpeth, Northumberland
Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
and went on to excel at Cambridge, specialising in mediaeval history. Having grown up on a farm, he was drawn to questions of mediaeval agriculture and the peasants whose labour had sustained the clergy.
After a professorship at the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
he returned to Cambridge to be Master of Fitzwilliam College
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Fitzwilliam College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge in England.The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer students from less financially privileged backgrounds a chance to study...
(1971-81), chairing the Victoria County History
Victoria County History
The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 and was dedicated to Queen Victoria with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of...
committee and the History of Parliament Trust.
Works
With John Hatcher, he wrote Medieval England: Rural Society and Economic Change, 1086-1348 (1978), which soon became a standard work for students. A companion volume by the same authors Medieval England: Towns, Commerce and Crafts, 1086-1348 appeared in 1995. Miller was co-editor of the second edition of volume 2 (1987) of the Cambridge Economic History of Europe and editor of the third volume (1991) of the Agrarian History of England and WalesThe agrarian history of England and Wales
The Agrarian History of England and Wales is an academic work, published by Cambridge University Press, which in 8 volumes covers the period from the origins to 1939....
covering the period 1348-1500.