Arthur Raistrick

Arthur Raistrick (1896-1991) was born in a working class home in Saltaire, Yorkshire. He was a scholar in many related, and some unrelated, fields. He published some 330 articles, books, pamphlets and scholarly treatises.

Early life and work

In his early life he was imprisoned as a conscientious objector to the First World War. During his confines in Durham and Wormwood Scrubs prisons he began an association with, and later membership of, the Society of Friends, that lasted throughout his life. As well as a pacifist, he was a socialist and had close ties to the early Independent Labour Party which he greatly valued into his old age.

His interests ranged widely. His early academic life was spent at Armstrong and Kings Colleges, Newcastle (later to become Newcastle University) where he attained the role of Reader in Applied Geology. His academic writings start from this period of his life, in 1925. [Croucher (1995)]

After work in mine safety, he once again settled into an academic life. His interests widened from geology and mining engineering into what would now be termed landscape studies. At the same time, his interest in mechanical engineering led him to carry out pioneering work on the lead mining industry of his native Yorkshire and elsewhere, including "Two centuries of Industrial Welfare" [Raistrick (1977)] (on the London Lead Company).

Once again refusing war service in 1939, Arthur Raistrick was forced to leave his academic post in Newcastle. He stated that King's College "just had to suspend me", without pay. [Joy (1991) p. 13, quoted in Jennings (2004)] During the war years, he refused to earn sufficient money to pay income tax which would fund the war effort and he spent much of the time in converting a one-time barn into a home for himself and his wife, Sarah Elizabeth (née Chapman).

As a Friend, Arthur Raistrick became interested in the history of Quaker involvement in science and industry, leading him to publish widely on this subject. In the course of this, he was responsible, with others, for pioneering work on the industrial archaeology of the Coalbrookdale area. His "Dynasty of Ironfounders" [Raistrick (1989), originally published in 1953] remains a seminal work on the Darbys of Coalbrookdale and their work in the cradle of the industrial revolution.

An industrial archaeologist

Raistrick was also a field archaeologist of some renown, specialising in the Craven area of the Yorkshire Dales, around his long-time home at Linton, near Grassington. His work in the field of industrial archaeology occupied much of his mature years. He published an early work on the subject, "Industrial Archaeology" [Raistrick (1972)] which remains in use in undergraduate courses to this day.

As well as his master's degree and doctorate, Arthur Raistrick received Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Leeds and Bradford. He was particularly associated with the latter university and bequeathed his extensive mineral collection to it, together with an unrivalled collection of closely annotated maps of the Yorkshire Dales and North Pennines, which form a commentary to his extensive fieldwork. He also left the bulk of his large library to Bradford University. [See external links]

Among other lifelong interests Raistrick was a keen walker, venturing far and wide amongst his beloved Yorkshire Dales and moors. He had been a founder member of the Holiday Fellowship and was a one time vice president of the Youth Hostels Association. His interest in landscape and its conservation led to him serving several terms upon the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

Honours refused

Offered an OBE by Prime Minister Harold Wilson, Raistrick wrote a letter declining the honour, which started, characteristically, "Dear Harold, I am deeply disappointed in you…". [Unpublished letter in the possession of his family] His lifelong dislike of privilege made it impossible for him even to consider accepting Wilson's offer.

Raistrick was a true polymath. He was a self-taught expert on the organ works of J.S. Bach. He immersed himself in studies of ancient Chinese civilisation. Until the end of his long life, he retained the daily routine of a working man, rising at 5 am to work through the day until an early bed at 8 pm.

An academic, a scholar of world renown, described as the "Dalesman of the Millennium", [Speakman (2006)] Raistrick would most devoutly have wished to be remembered as a socialist and a Quaker.

Notes

elected bibliography

* Raistrick, Arthur (1972) "Industrial archaeology : an historical survey", London, Eyre Methuen, ISBN 0-413-28050-0
* Raistrick, Arthur (1977) "Two centuries of industrial welfare : the London (Quaker) Lead Company, 1692-1905 : the social policy and work of the 'Governor and Company for Smelting down Lead with Pit Coal and Sea Coal', mainly in Alston Moor and the Pennines", Rev. 2nd ed., Buxton : Moorland Publishing Co. [1st ed.: London : 'Journal of the Friends Historical Society', 1938] , ISBN 0-903485-13-3
*Raistrick, Arthur (1989) "Dynasty of iron founders : the Darbys and Coalbrookdale", 2nd rev. ed., Coalbrookdale : Sessions Book Trust/Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, ISBN 1-85072-058-4

References

* Beresford, M.W. (1992) "Dr Arthur Raistrick", "Yorkshire Archaeological Journal", 64, p. 212–213
* Croucher, Trevor (1995) "Boots and books : the work and writings of Arthur Raistrick", Otley : Smith Settle, ISBN 1-85825-038-2
* Jennings, Bernard (2004) "Raistrick, Arthur (1896–1991)", in: "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", Oxford University Press, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/49936 Available online] , doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/49936, accessed 27 August 2007
* Joy, David (compl.) (1991) "Arthur Raistrick's Yorkshire Dales", Clapham : Dalesman, ISBN 1-85568-035-1
* Marshall, John (2007) [http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted_sites/tms/pdf/TMS-AGM-Abstracts-2007.pdf "Arthur Raistrick, "Dalesman of the Millennium" and palynologist"] , In: "Micropalaeontological Heroes", Micropalaeontological Society: 2007 Annual General Meeting, University College London
* Speakman, Colin (2006) [http://www.yds.org.uk/history.cfm "The Yorkshire Dales Society : History"] , Yorkshire Dales Society website, accessed 2 September 2007

External links

* [http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/49936 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - "Raistrick, Arthur (1896–1991)"] - Subscription required but many public libraries have online access for their members
* [http://www.brad.ac.uk/library/special/raistrick.php University of Bradford Library: The Elizabeth and Arthur Raistrick Collection]