Thomas Frederick Tout
Encyclopedia
Thomas Frederick Tout, F.B.A. (28 September 1855 – 23 October 1929) was a 19th- and 20th-century British historian
of the medieval period.
, he was a pupil of St Olave's Grammar School, Orpington (Kent)
, graduate of Balliol College, Oxford
and a fellow of Pembroke
, but failing to obtain permanent fellowships at All Souls
(1879) and Lincoln
, his first academic post was at St David's University College, Lampeter
(now the University of Wales, Lampeter
), where his job title was 'Professor of English and Modern Languages'.
While at Lampeter, Tout commenced his prolific production of articles for the Dictionary of National Biography
, including the entry on Rowland Williams
. His descendants have said that this famous outpouring of influential biographical ur-essays was due to no more than the sheer poverty of a young married academic needing cash for words. It seems that the historical importance of the priceless Lampeter Tract Collection, held in that institution's Founders' Library, was not fully recognised at Lampeter until T. F. Tout arrived at the college. With his friend, C. H. Firth, who was an external examiner for St David's for a number of years, Tout rescued the collection from neglect, arranging for seventy-two volumes to be rebound, rearranging the contents of some, and bringing together, for example, all the Civil War and Commonwealth newspapers scattered throughout the collection, into four volumes arranged in chronological order. Tout was the most distinguished member of the Lampeter staff at this time, and was soon styled Professor of History.
and become Professor of History at the Victoria University of Manchester
, where he stayed until 1925 (this changed to the University of Manchester
in 1903). In 1894 he failed to gain the chair at Glasgow. Tout was, with James Tait, one of the two leading figures of the `Manchester History School' and is best known for his 6-volume "Chapters in the Administrative History of Medieval England", whose influence still remains and was for 40 years magisterial in the shaping of late medieval English History scholarship. Concentrating, through close study of the Crown's administrative records, on how changes of government-method reflected changes in the nature of power and politics, the work bridged from 19th century constitutional history to mid-20th century socio-political emphasis with very few fundamental criticisms of Tout's methods and conclusions. Other works, which stood the test of time much less well, included "The Political History of England, 1216–1377" (1905), and the notoriously-unpersuasive "The Place of the Reign of Edward II in English History" (1914), which were the Ford Lectures
at Oxford University in 1913. Tout published a heavily-revised second edition in 1926. Tout was also prolific in writing short, sharp articles about the significance of particular documents he had found, most of which still stand up impressively. He was president of the Royal Historical Society
from 1925 to 1929.
fought a bitter war to persuade Oxford to follow Manchester and introduce scientific study of sources into the History programme, but failed. So, too, at Cambridge. Other universities, however, followed Tout, and Oxbridge - very slowly - had to face up to the fact, with fundamental changes to the selection of college fellows across all disciplines.
, contain more information on general academic affairs elsewhere around the country and about his own historical research than the affairs of his own University. The collection is greater in quantity than quality, and his wife's supplementary files might actually be of greater interest. Letters from former pupils serving in World War I
are noteworthy, as are those from their bereaved relatives.
/Withington
border, and later moved to 1 Oak Drive, Fallowfield. He and his wife, Mary, moved south to 3 Oak Hill Park, Hampstead, shortly before his formal retirement. He was a devout Anglican and died in 1929. Their daughter Margaret was also a historian. James Tait said of Tout: "Tout comprendre, c'est Tout pardonner" (meaning in English: If one understands Tout one can forgive him too).
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of the medieval period.
Early life
Born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he was a pupil of St Olave's Grammar School, Orpington (Kent)
St Olave's Grammar School
St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School is a super-selective boys' secondary school in Orpington, Greater London, England. The school is consistently one of the top achieving state schools in the UK and it was The Sunday Times State School of the Year in 2008...
, graduate of Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
and a fellow of Pembroke
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...
, but failing to obtain permanent fellowships at All Souls
All Souls
All Souls may refer to:* All Souls' Day* All Souls College, Oxford* A church dedicated to All Souls, for example:** All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington, DC** All Souls Church, Langham Place, London** Unitarian Church of All Souls, New York City...
(1879) and Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
, his first academic post was at St David's University College, Lampeter
Lampeter
Lampeter is a town in Ceredigion, South West Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.-Demographics:At the 2001 National Census, the population was 2894. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom...
(now the University of Wales, Lampeter
University of Wales, Lampeter
University of Wales, Lampeter is a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822 by royal charter, it is the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales and may be the third oldest in England and Wales after Oxford and Cambridge...
), where his job title was 'Professor of English and Modern Languages'.
While at Lampeter, Tout commenced his prolific production of articles for the Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
, including the entry on Rowland Williams
Rowland Williams
Rowland Williams was vice-principal and Professor of Hebrew at St David’s College, Lampeter from 1849 to 1862 and was one of the most influential theologians of the nineteenth century. He supported biblical criticism and pioneered comparative Religious Studies in Britain. He was also a priest in...
. His descendants have said that this famous outpouring of influential biographical ur-essays was due to no more than the sheer poverty of a young married academic needing cash for words. It seems that the historical importance of the priceless Lampeter Tract Collection, held in that institution's Founders' Library, was not fully recognised at Lampeter until T. F. Tout arrived at the college. With his friend, C. H. Firth, who was an external examiner for St David's for a number of years, Tout rescued the collection from neglect, arranging for seventy-two volumes to be rebound, rearranging the contents of some, and bringing together, for example, all the Civil War and Commonwealth newspapers scattered throughout the collection, into four volumes arranged in chronological order. Tout was the most distinguished member of the Lampeter staff at this time, and was soon styled Professor of History.
Professor of History
In 1890, Tout left LampeterLampeter
Lampeter is a town in Ceredigion, South West Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.-Demographics:At the 2001 National Census, the population was 2894. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom...
and become Professor of History at the Victoria University of Manchester
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
, where he stayed until 1925 (this changed to the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
in 1903). In 1894 he failed to gain the chair at Glasgow. Tout was, with James Tait, one of the two leading figures of the `Manchester History School' and is best known for his 6-volume "Chapters in the Administrative History of Medieval England", whose influence still remains and was for 40 years magisterial in the shaping of late medieval English History scholarship. Concentrating, through close study of the Crown's administrative records, on how changes of government-method reflected changes in the nature of power and politics, the work bridged from 19th century constitutional history to mid-20th century socio-political emphasis with very few fundamental criticisms of Tout's methods and conclusions. Other works, which stood the test of time much less well, included "The Political History of England, 1216–1377" (1905), and the notoriously-unpersuasive "The Place of the Reign of Edward II in English History" (1914), which were the Ford Lectures
Ford Lectures
The Ford Lectures are a prestigious series of public lectures given annually in English or British History by a distinguished historian. Known commonly as "The Ford Lectures," they are properly titled "Ford's Lectures in British History" and they are given by a scholar elected to be "Ford's...
at Oxford University in 1913. Tout published a heavily-revised second edition in 1926. Tout was also prolific in writing short, sharp articles about the significance of particular documents he had found, most of which still stand up impressively. He was president of the Royal Historical Society
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
from 1925 to 1929.
Undergraduate and postgraduate research
Tout also introduced original research into the undergraduate programme, culminating in the production of a Final Year thesis based on primary sources. This horrified Oxbridge, where college tutors had little research capacity of their own and saw the undergraduate as an embryonic future gentleman, liberal connoisseur, widely-read, and mainstay of country and empire in politics, commerce, army, land or church, not an apprentice to dusty, centuries-old archives, wherein no more than 1 in 100 could find even an innocuous career. As to which, they had a fair case, given the various likelihoods and opportunities for their charges. Tout's ally FirthFirth
Firth is the word in the Lowland Scots language and in English used to denote various coastal waters in Scotland and England. In mainland Scotland it is used to describe a large sea bay, or even a strait. In the Northern Isles it more usually refers to a smaller inlet...
fought a bitter war to persuade Oxford to follow Manchester and introduce scientific study of sources into the History programme, but failed. So, too, at Cambridge. Other universities, however, followed Tout, and Oxbridge - very slowly - had to face up to the fact, with fundamental changes to the selection of college fellows across all disciplines.
Papers
Tout was actively involved in the life and running of Manchester University, but, apart from letters from A. W. Ward, his papers, now housed in the John Rylands LibraryJohn Rylands Library
The John Rylands Library is a Victorian Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband, John Rylands...
, contain more information on general academic affairs elsewhere around the country and about his own historical research than the affairs of his own University. The collection is greater in quantity than quality, and his wife's supplementary files might actually be of greater interest. Letters from former pupils serving in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
are noteworthy, as are those from their bereaved relatives.
Personal life
He married Mary Johnstone and lived at 14 Mauldeth Road, on the FallowfieldFallowfield
Ladybarn is the part of Fallowfield to the south-east. Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre is used by the University of Manchester: it was built by Edward Walters for Sir Joseph Whitworth, as were the Firs Botanical Grounds.-Religion:...
/Withington
Withington
Withington is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre, about south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury, and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near the centre-to-south edges of the Greater Manchester Urban Area; in the...
border, and later moved to 1 Oak Drive, Fallowfield. He and his wife, Mary, moved south to 3 Oak Hill Park, Hampstead, shortly before his formal retirement. He was a devout Anglican and died in 1929. Their daughter Margaret was also a historian. James Tait said of Tout: "Tout comprendre, c'est Tout pardonner" (meaning in English: If one understands Tout one can forgive him too).