Peter Foote
Encyclopedia
Peter Godfrey Foote was a scholar of Old Norse
literature and Scandinavia
n studies. He inaugurated the Department of Scandinavian Studies at University College London
, and headed it for 20 years.
, Dorset
, the fourth of five sons of a butcher. His two eldest brothers had to leave school at 14; he and the other younger boys were able to attend grammar school. In 1942 he entered University College of the South West of England (now Exeter University) on a scholarship.
His studies were interrupted in 1943 by service in the Royal Navy, mostly in the Far East.
Upon demobilisation, Foote resumed his university studies at the start of 1947 and in 1948 earned a University of London external BA with first class honours. In 1948-49 he studied at the University of Oslo
on a Norwegian government research studentship, and he then began postgraduate studies in the Department of English at University College, London, receiving an MA in 1951.
Together with Hugh Smith, director of University College's Department of English and Scandinavian Studies in the 1950s, Foote saw the wisdom of studying Old Norse literature and culture in association with the modern Scandinavian languages and the history of all the Scandinavian countries. In his inaugural lecture in 1964, on Færeyinga Saga
, Foote looked forward in this spirit to the college teaching modern Icelandic
and Faroese
, and treating Scandinavian history as a unified field. He said then: "Old Scandinavian . . . confers a welcome freedom, so that I may with perfect propriety offer a lecture on an Icelandic text concerning Atlantic islanders of Norwegian origin whose descendants have now for some centuries technically owed allegiance to the Danish crown".
Foote expanded the new department during his tenure, adding first a full-time position in Scandinavian philology (1964), then another in Norse studies (1965), classes in Faroese (1968), then a teaching assistantship in modern Icelandic (1970s), and finally after considerable effort a lectureship in Nordic history (1970).
He continued to teach occasionally at University College until 2006, more than twenty years after retiring.
He was also very active in the Viking Society for Northern Research
, editing Saga-Book, its journal, from 1952 to 1976 and serving twice as president (1974-76 and 1990-92) among other positions.
He received honorary doctorates from the University of Iceland
and the University of Uppsala and national honours from Denmark
, Iceland
, Norway
and Sweden
.
' 16th-century Latin Description of the Northern Peoples (1996-98) and edited Jóns saga helga (2003).
region, whom he had met in the Far East during World War II
when she was a nurse. She died in 2006. They had two daughters and a son. He enjoyed walking and bell-ringing, and participated until 2008 in a reading group that took its name, the Orðhenglar ("Pedants"), from his insistence on correct Icelandic.
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
literature and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n studies. He inaugurated the Department of Scandinavian Studies at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, and headed it for 20 years.
Early life and education
Foote was born and raised in SwanageSwanage
Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, the fourth of five sons of a butcher. His two eldest brothers had to leave school at 14; he and the other younger boys were able to attend grammar school. In 1942 he entered University College of the South West of England (now Exeter University) on a scholarship.
His studies were interrupted in 1943 by service in the Royal Navy, mostly in the Far East.
Upon demobilisation, Foote resumed his university studies at the start of 1947 and in 1948 earned a University of London external BA with first class honours. In 1948-49 he studied at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
on a Norwegian government research studentship, and he then began postgraduate studies in the Department of English at University College, London, receiving an MA in 1951.
Academic career
He had already been appointed a teaching assistant and then assistant lecturer in Old Icelandic within the Department of Scandinavian Studies, which at the time was still part of the Department of English. Over the next 13 years he advanced to reader in Old Scandinavian and then in 1963 to professor of Scandinavian Studies, with the separation of the field from English as a new department.Together with Hugh Smith, director of University College's Department of English and Scandinavian Studies in the 1950s, Foote saw the wisdom of studying Old Norse literature and culture in association with the modern Scandinavian languages and the history of all the Scandinavian countries. In his inaugural lecture in 1964, on Færeyinga Saga
Færeyinga Saga
The Færeyinga Saga , the Norse saga of Faroemen, is the story of how the Faroes were converted to Christianity and became a part of the Kingdom of Norway.-Summary:It was written in Iceland shortly after 1200...
, Foote looked forward in this spirit to the college teaching modern Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
and Faroese
Faroese language
Faroese , is an Insular Nordic language spoken by 48,000 people in the Faroe Islands and about 25,000 Faroese people in Denmark and elsewhere...
, and treating Scandinavian history as a unified field. He said then: "Old Scandinavian . . . confers a welcome freedom, so that I may with perfect propriety offer a lecture on an Icelandic text concerning Atlantic islanders of Norwegian origin whose descendants have now for some centuries technically owed allegiance to the Danish crown".
Foote expanded the new department during his tenure, adding first a full-time position in Scandinavian philology (1964), then another in Norse studies (1965), classes in Faroese (1968), then a teaching assistantship in modern Icelandic (1970s), and finally after considerable effort a lectureship in Nordic history (1970).
He continued to teach occasionally at University College until 2006, more than twenty years after retiring.
He was also very active in the Viking Society for Northern Research
Viking Society for Northern Research
The Viking Society for Northern Research, founded in London in 1892 as the Orkney, Shetland and Northern Society or the Viking Club, is a group dedicated to the study and promotion of the ancient culture of Scandinavia whose journal, Saga-Book, publication of editions, translations, and scholarly...
, editing Saga-Book, its journal, from 1952 to 1976 and serving twice as president (1974-76 and 1990-92) among other positions.
He received honorary doctorates from the University of Iceland
University of Iceland
The University of Iceland is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern comprehensive university, providing instruction for about...
and the University of Uppsala and national honours from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Publications
Foote was greatly respected for the quality of his translations, which included Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu (1957) and together with others, the ancient Icelandic law book Grágás (Laws of Early Iceland, 1980 and 2000). He co-wrote The Viking Achievement (1960) with David Wilson. After he retired he produced a three-volume edited translation, the first English edition, of Olaus MagnusOlaus Magnus
Olaus Magnus was a Swedish ecclesiastic and writer, who did pioneering work for the interest of Nordic people. He was reported as born in October 1490 in Östergötland, and died on August 1, 1557. Magnus, Latin for the Swedish Stor “great”, is a Latin family name taken personally, and not a...
' 16th-century Latin Description of the Northern Peoples (1996-98) and edited Jóns saga helga (2003).
Personal life
In 1951 Foote married Eleanor McCaig, from the StranraerStranraer
Stranraer is a town in the southwest of Scotland. It lies in the west of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire.Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland...
region, whom he had met in the Far East during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when she was a nurse. She died in 2006. They had two daughters and a son. He enjoyed walking and bell-ringing, and participated until 2008 in a reading group that took its name, the Orðhenglar ("Pedants"), from his insistence on correct Icelandic.