author
H. F. (Herbert Francis) Westlake
1879–1925
Best known for bringing the history of Westminster Abbey to life, this Anglican clergyman and historian wrote with the authority of someone who knew the Abbey from the inside. His books blend careful scholarship with a strong feel for place, especially medieval Westminster and its institutions.
1 Audiobook
Westminster Abbey: The last days of the monastery as shown by the life and times of Abbot John Islip, 1464-1532
by H. F. (Herbert Francis) Westlake
About the author
Born in Gloucester on August 3, 1879, Herbert Francis Westlake was educated at Christ's Hospital in London and later won a scholarship to Pembroke College, Oxford. He went on to work as a school chaplain and assistant mathematics master at Lancing College, and later at Westminster School.
Westlake is most closely associated with Westminster Abbey. He served as Minor Canon there from 1909 until his death in 1925, and from 1918 he was also assistant keeper of the Abbey's records. That combination of pastoral work and close access to the archives shaped his writing, giving it both detail and depth.
His books include Westminster; a Historical Sketch, St. Margaret's Westminster, and the two-volume Westminster Abbey: The Church, Convent, Cathedral and College of St Peter, Westminster. He also wrote The Parish Gilds of Mediæval England and Westminster Abbey: The Last Days of the Monastery, works that reflect his strong interest in English religious and institutional history.