John McManners

John McMannersCBEFBAFAHA(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 Historyat theUniversity of Oxfordfrom 1972 to 1984. He also served as Fellow and Chaplain ofAll Souls College, Oxford,from 1964 to 2001.

The Reverend John McManners CBEFBAFAHA
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	Sarah Errington ​ (m.1951)​
Children	4, includingHugh McManners
Awards	Ordre national du Mérite(2001)
Ecclesiastical career
Religion	Christianity (Anglican)
Church	Church of England
Ordained	1947 (deacon) 1948 (priest)
Academic background
Alma mater	St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Chad's College, Durham
Academic work
Discipline	History
Sub-discipline	Ecclesiastical history
Institutions	University of Tasmania University of Sydney University of Leicester All Souls College, Oxford
Military career
Service	British Army
Rank	Major
Unit	1st Battalion,Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
Battles / wars	Second World War Western Desert campaign

Birth and early education

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 Schoolbefore winning anexhibitiontoSt Edmund Hall, Oxford,in 1936. While at Oxford he took aBachelor of Artsdegree withfirst-class honoursin modern history in 1939.

Military service

In September 1939 Great Britain entered theSecond World Warprompting 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 Campaignand 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) inAlexandriato help prepareGreecefor the time after the war.

Ordination and early teaching career

While in the military McManners decided to follow his father's vocation and becomeordainedinto theChurch of England.He studied atSt Chad's College, Durham,and was ordained as adeaconin 1947 and apriestin 1948. He first served ascurateofLeeds Parish Churchfor 10 months. Then, in 1948, invited back to his alma mater to be the Chaplain and lecture in History.

In 1951 he married Sarah Erringtonwhom he met while studying in Durham. They had two sons,Hughand Peter, and two daughters, Ann and Helen.

In 1956 he accepted the chair of History at theUniversity of TasmaniainHobart,Australia.He remained for four years before moving to theUniversity of Sydneyas the chair of History from 1960 to 1965.

Return to England

He returned toEnglandandOxford Universityfrom 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 HistoryatOxfordand 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.

Published works

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.

While at Leicester he publishedFrench Revolution and the ChurchandChurch and State in France, 1870–1914.

He won the 1982Wolfson History PrizeforDeath and the Enlightenment.In a 1986 review Joseph Tempesta ofIthaca Collegedescribes it as a study "extensively researched" that "brings the era to life".It was hailed byThe Timesas "one of the ten best non-fiction books of the year".

McManners was the general editor of theOxford Illustrated History of Christianitythat was published in 1990. It was a best seller with excellent scholarly standards.

The two-volumeChurch and Society in Eighteenth-Century Francepublished in 1998 "represents an enormous achievement" as reported by Raymond Mentzer ofMontana State University.It is two volumes, more than 1600 pages of text documenting four generations of pre-revolutionaryFranceand the culmination of more than 50 years of research.

In 2002 McManners published the autobiographicalFusilier: Recollections and Reflections, 1939–1945documenting his experiences during the war.

His final book,All Souls and the Shipley Case, 1808–1810documented 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.

Select bibliography

• French Ecclesiastical Society Under the Ancient Regime: A Study of Angers in the Eighteenth Century(1960)
• Lectures on European History, 1789–1914(1966)
• French Revolution and the Church(1970)
• Church and State in France, 1870–1914(1972)
• Death and the Enlightenment: Changing Attitudes to Death Among Christians and Unbelievers in Eighteenth-Century France(1981)
• Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity(1990) editor
• Church and Society in Eighteenth-Century France(1998)
• The Oxford History of Christianity(2002)
• Fusilier: Recollections and Reflections, 1939–1945(2002)
• All Souls and the Shipley Case, 1808–1810(2002)

Awards and honours

• 1939 First in Modern HistorySt Edmund Hall, Oxford
• 1970-1978 Trustee of theNational Portrait Gallery
• 1972-1984Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical HistoryatUniversity of Oxford
• 1977-1978 President of theEcclesiastical History Society
• 1978Fellow of the British Academy (FBA)
• 1978-1982 Doctrinal Commission of the Church of England
• 1982Wolfson History PrizeforDeath and the Enlightenment
• 1992Ordre des Palmes Académiques
• 2000Order of the British Empire (CBE)
• 2001Ordre national du Mérite

References

Works cited

• Mentzer, Raymond A. (June 2000). "Review ofChurch and Society in Eighteenth-Century France,by John McManners ".Church History.69(2): 434–437.doi:10.2307/3169607.ISSN0009-6407.JSTOR3169607.
• Tempesta, Joseph F. (Spring 1986). "Review ofDeath and the Enlightenment: Changing Attitudes to Death Among Christians and Unbelievers in Eighteenth-Century France,by John McManners ".Journal of the American Academy of Religion.54(1): 181–182.ISSN0002-7189.JSTOR1464145.

Further reading

• Aston, Nigel (1997). "Introduction: John McManners, Man and Historian". In Aston, Nigel (ed.).Religious Change in Europe, 1650–1914: Essays for John McManners.Oxford: Clarendon Press.doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205968.001.0001.ISBN978-0-19-820596-8.
• ———(14 December 2006)."John McManners: British Religious Historian and Expert on the Ancién Regime".The Guardian.London. p. 36.Retrieved20 February2008.