Five classes i took at university:
Literature in the French Reformation 🥰
The Presidency of Andrew Jackson 😬
Dutch revolt & golden age 😃
Birth of Western Society 🙂 (our tutors were ace, even if I'm no medievalist)
The foundations of modern historical thought 🧐
Five classes I took at university
History of the English Language - I fell asleep and dreamed the lecturer was talking about doughnuts (1/5)
Were you at Durham? I recognise at least 3 course titles.
Rumbled! You may well be able to match some people to titles...
Andrew Johnson was Don Ratcliffe (still alive, 84, moved to Oxford for a post-retirement job & N. Oxfordshire to live). Dutch Golden Age probably Toby Osborne, not just alive but unretired, poor sod, & living in Stanhope. Birth of Western Society the dynamic duo of David Rollason & Robin Frame, …
And I was thinking particularly of David pretending to be a tiger moth and Robin telling us all kinds of things about Irish kings, as well as Len Scales putting up with a particularly mouthy seminar group for the medievalists. And then Richard B as well, who was very kind to me.
Len is still there — recently HoD. Richard was a kind man, but with a surprising temper sometimes. David is now chairman of my allotment society, which he runs with same manic energy as he used to with the department. David Barry is still around, thin & amusingly waspish. Margaret Harvey too.
Jan 31, 2026 17:12
