James Tait Papers

Date range: 1881-1944

Medium: Archive

James Tait (1863-1944), was Professor of Ancient and Medieval History at the University of Manchester, 1902-1919. Like his colleague T. F. Tout, Tait played a leading role in establishing the 'Manchester History School'.

Tait was a medievalist, with particular interests in feudal institutions and urban history. His publications included Medieval Manchester and the Beginnings of Lancashire (1904) and The Medieval English Borough (1936), and he also edited several important medieval texts. He was more generally active in promoting regional and local history. He served as the first president of the English Place-Name Society from 1923 until 1932.

The main component of the archive is correspondence, with letters from such eminent historians as Helen Cam, J. H. Round, Charles Firth, F. W. Maitland, Frank Stenton and R. L. Poole. Tait’s papers also include his notebooks and research notes and some personal material.

See also:

• Tout Family Archive
• Mary Bateson Papers

Further information:

Catalogue available online via ELGAR.

Location:

• The John Rylands Library, Deansgate  [Map]
• Find out how to use the reading rooms in the John Rylands Research Institute and Library