William Camden - the first resident

William Camden  was a self- made man at a time when power was usually a matter of birthright and  patronage. Born to a poor family in the Old Bailey area of London,  he was educated through charity at the recently opened  Blue Coat School and went on  to  hold  one of the most powerful positions in the country as a senior herald – The Clarenceux King of Arms. On that upward career path he was a teacher, the Headmaster of Westminster School and the Librarian at Westminster Abbey. He was a pious man who  never married or had children.

He must have worked hard to attain this position.  It seems he was pragmatic and politically astute, a diplomat who resolved problems, could influence others and ‘kept his head.’ He earned the respect of both his Queen and then King James l.

He was described by his contemporaries as the leading academic of his day – quite an acolade when Shakespeare  was also on the scene. He can reasonably be called the ‘grandfather’ of modern history– his influence showed people how history should be recorded, through artefacts, diaries and contemporary records. In doing this he removed the recording and study of history from the hands of the church and encouraged a more evidence based, objective and secular approach.

Camden was diligent – to understand Roman history of Britain he went to Italy and learned Italian and similarly he studied Welsh so he could reference original sources.

His major work, Britannia, written in Latin, was the first topographical study of the country since the Doomsday Book. In his work he was seen as objective and balanced – a reporter rather than an analyst and he was humble- he never sought titles or  accolades. The King of Arms position was the only one he accepted,

Though he  didn’t die a particularly wealthy man he  was comfortably off – with enough money from his land at Bexley to endow the first and today, the oldest, (Camden)  Chair of  History at Oxford.