Le Patourel

John Le Patourel

John Le Patourel was born in 1909 in Guernsey. Educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey, and Jesus College, Oxford; Le Patourel was a prominent historian of the High Middle Ages, specialising in England and France. His most influential book, The Norman Empire (1976), reflected his heritage as a Channel Islander. In the Second World War he was a founder member of the Guernsey Society, which was established to represent the interests of Nazi-occupied Guernsey to the British government.

Le Patourel was appointed Professor of Medieval History at Leeds in 1945. He was a leading member of the Medieval Group, members of which would form the nucleus of the GCMS. He is remembered fondly as a kind and intelligent man, who was well-respected and well-liked. Upon his retirement he was presented with two festschriften, one from Northern History and the other contributed by the Staff Medieval Group. John Le Patourel died in 1981.

Jean Le Patourel

In 1939 John married (Hilda Elizabeth) Jean Bird, an expert in medieval ceramics. Jean Le Patourel was involved in the excavation of many medieval sites around Yorkshire, including Kirkstall Abbey and Wharram Percy. She was a lecturer in the Department of Adult Education and Extra-Mural Studies at Leeds and an ardent supporter of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society and the Thoresby Society. Jean remained a keen supporter of Medieval Studies at Leeds until her death in 2011. A great lover of dogs, Jean became the foremost expert on the archaeology of pre-modern dog-collars.