The son of a solicitor from a very well respected Yorkshire family, William Stubbs was born in Knaresborough in 1829. After an excellent undergraduate career at Christ Church, he was immediately ordained upon graduation in 1848. In order to keep himself, he took up private teaching; his students included Henry Liddon and Charles Swinburne. He kept up his studies however, and in 1863 became editor of the Rolls Series of medieval documents, eventually completing nineteen volumes of the series himself. In 1866 he became Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford, where his impact was felt the most. As well as reinvigorating historical studies there, he influenced an entire generation of historians, such as T. F. Tout, R. L. Poole, J. H. R

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First published 21 March 2002

[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4271, accessed 9 February 2010.]