John Stephen MorrillFBA (born 12 June 1946)[1][2] is a British historian and academic who specialises in the political, religious, social, and cultural history of early-modern Britain from 1500 to 1750, especially the English Civil War. He is best known for his scholarship on early modern politics and his unique county studies approach which he developed at Cambridge.[3] Morrill was educated at Trinity College, Oxford, and became a fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge, in 1975.
Although his Stirling post had been a permanent appointment, Morrill moved to the University of Cambridge in 1975, having been appointed an assistant lecturer (later lecturer) in its Faculty of History.[4] He was promoted to reader in early modern history in 1992, and professor of British and Irish history in 1998.[4] He was deputy director of the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) from 2001 to 2004.[4] He has also been a fellowofSelwyn College, Cambridge, since 1975 and active in the college's administration:[6] he was director of studies in history from 1975 to 1992, a tutor from 1979 to 1992, admissions tutor from 1982 to 1987, the senior tutor from 1987 to 1992, and served as vice-master from 1992 to 2001.[5] Having retired in 2015 from full-time academia, he was appointed professor emeritus by the University of Cambridge and emeritus fellow of Selwyn College.[7]
Morrill was President for 10 years of the Cromwell Association, "a body that seeks to promote public knowledge about and interest in Cromwell and his age".[9]
According to the online Bibliography of British and Irish History, he has published (up to July 2016) 116 books, essays and articles but some of his major contributions have been in developing online datasets – as General Editor of the Royal Historical Society Bibliography of British and Irish History and of the British Overseas (1992–99) — now the online Bibliography of British and Irish History, as Chair of the Management Committee of the project that put 8,000 survivor statements from the 1641 'massacres' in Ireland[10] and as General Editor of an imminent (5 volume and online) edition of all the recorded words of Oliver Cromwell.[citation needed]
On 6 July 2009, Morrill delivered his lecture 'The British Revolution in the English Provinces, 1640-9' as part of The Marc Fitch Lectures.[4][11][12]
In 1996, Morrill was ordained as a permanent deacon in the Roman Catholic Church.[4] He has held several senior positions in the Diocese of East Anglia (e.g. Lourdes Pilgrimage Diocean Director, Chair of the Commission for Evangelisation and Assistant Director for Diaconal Formation), and teaches Church History and Pastoral Theology one weekend a month at St John's Seminary, Wonersh.
The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland 1638–1660 (ed. John Morrill, John Kenyon, and Jane Ohlmeyer) (Oxford University Press. 1988) (read online)
Revolt in the Provinces: The English People and the Tragedies of War, 1634–1648 (Longman, 1999) (read online)
^Sarah Barber (April 1997). "Reviewed Works: The Nature of the English Revolution by John Morrill". The Scottish Historical Review. 76 (201): 138–140. JSTOR25530753.
