author
Kenneth Hotham Vickers
1881–1958
An English historian with a strong interest in late medieval England, he also helped shape higher education in Southampton for nearly a quarter of a century. His work combines careful scholarship with a clear sense of how institutions and people shape history.
1 Audiobook
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester: A Biography
by Kenneth Hotham Vickers
About the author
Born near York on 11 May 1881, he studied at Oundle School and then won a history scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford, graduating in 1904. As a teenager he contracted polio, which left him with lasting weakness in one arm and leg, but he went on to build a substantial academic career.
He taught history at University College, Bristol, worked in adult and university teaching in London, and became a fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 1909. In 1913 he was appointed Professor of Modern History at Armstrong College in Newcastle. His books include England in the Later Middle Ages and Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, showing a particular interest in medieval and late medieval English history.
In 1922 he became Principal of Southampton University College and remained in the role until 1946. He is remembered not only as a historian but also as a university leader who worked to strengthen and expand the college during the long years before Southampton achieved full university status in 1952, a few years after his retirement. He died on 5 September 1958.