Ewart Oakeshott

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Ronald Ewart Oakeshott (born May 25, 1916 - September 30, 2002 ) was a British collector, amateur gun historian and author. Oakeshott was a member of the Society of Antiquaries of London and was best known for his books on medieval weapons and armor , in particular for his classification of European swords of the Middle Ages , the Oakeshott Classification .

Childhood and professional life

Oakeshott was born on May 25, 1916, the son of a civil servant. His uncle, Jeffrey Farnol , was the author of numerous adventure novels , collector of antiquarian swords and responsible for his nephew's early contact with historical weapons. Ewart Oakeshott received his school education at Dulwich College . He then attended the Central School of Art in London, from which he graduated with a diploma as an art teacher.

He then worked as an illustrator and in an administrative role at the AE Johnson artist agency in London. During the Second World War he served in the Royal Navy from 1940 . After being wounded and hospitalized for a long time, he was released in 1945. He returned to AE Johnson, where he held a managerial position until 1960.

Occupation with historical weapons

Even at a young age, Oakeshott began collecting historical swords, which were extremely affordable by today's standards in the 1940s. Together with other enthusiasts he founded the Arms and Armor Society in 1948 and served as its president in 1951. In the following years he published numerous articles in the journal of the association and other media.

As a result, he gained increasing recognition as an expert in historical bladed weapons and armor. Among other things, he was invited by the British Museum to analyze a sword of Henry V. Finally he gave up his professional position in 1960 in order to concentrate more on his research and teaching around historical weapons and armaments. Oakeshott spent a large part of the rest of his life publishing books and essays, teaching at universities and advising museums and associations. He cataloged the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge University and taught at the University of Sussex from 1975 to 1977 . His most important works are the books The Sword in the Age of Chivalry and Records of the Medieval Sword , which contain some of his older works.

Meaning and effect

Although generally considered an authority on his field, Oakshott referred to himself as a mere amateur on several occasions. He did not have an academic degree in the field of his activity and allowed personal experiences and impressions to flow into his work. The fact that he has been criticized for this can be seen in the “Afterword for Pedants” that he put at the end of Records of the Medieval Sword . In it he admits that he occasionally included anecdotes and living things in his works, but emphasizes that he does not have to apologize for them.

Oakeshott's best-known legacy is the Oakeshott classification of the medieval European sword, which he introduced in The Sword in the Age of Chivalry in 1964 . What is special about it is that, in contrast to previous categorizations, it is not based on the art-historical consideration of the decorations of the vessel , but on the form and function of swords and their blades. In doing so, he chose an approach to the medieval sword that is much more oriented towards the historical use of the weapons found. It was Oakeshott's dedicated concern to understand the sword not only as an art object, but also as a personal tool and object of concrete use and meaning.

His work had an impact on historical studies and the dating of medieval and early modern swords. That he founded Oakeshott Institute of Arms and Armor , he instructed accordingly to keep all swords of his collection not only for viewing, but also for handling. To this day it manages the scientific and antiquarian estate of its founder and continues his research and teaching projects.

Private life

Oakeshott married twice, most recently the author and educator Sybil Marshall, with whom he also worked several times. The first marriage had two daughters and the second had a son. Oakshott died on September 30, 2002 at the age of 86.

Awards and memberships (selection)

  • Founding member of the Arms and Armor Society (1948)
  • President of the same (1951)
  • Reginald Taylor Prize for Best Paper from the British Archaeological Association (1951)
  • Founder of the Oakeshott Institute of Arms and Armor (2000)

Publications (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Ewart Oakeshott Obituary. In: The Telegraph. October 16, 2002, accessed August 22, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b c d Christopher Poor: Ewart Oakeshott: Curriculum Vitae. (No longer available online.) In: oakeshott.org. Archived from the original on February 20, 2002 ; accessed on August 22, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Nathan Robinson et al. a .: Ewart Oakeshott: The Man and his Legacy. In: myarmoury.com. Retrieved August 22, 2016 .
  4. ^ A b John Clements: Ewart Oakeshott: "Dean of Swords". In: thearma.org. October 10, 1998, accessed August 22, 2016 .
  5. ↑ PostScript for pedants . In: Records of the Medieval Sword . Boydell Press, 1991, p. 306.
personal data
SURNAME Oakeshott, Ewart
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British author and armorer
DATE OF BIRTH May 25, 1916
DATE OF DEATH September 30, 2002