Roger Schofield as Historian and Demographer: an Appreciation

This paper is an appreciation of Roger Schofield's academic life and work. It argues that his considerable distinctions in the social sciences should not be allowed to detract from his essential qualities as a historian which constitute the fundamental key to his overall academic standing and his particular intellectual insights. The paper first considers the context within which those skills became embedded when an undergraduate and postgraduate historian at Clare College in the 1950s and early 1960s. It then reviews the ways in which they shone through recurrently in his work as historical demographer, economic and social historian as well as purveyor of quantitative analytical techniques and finally, of particular significance, his role as local historian and empathetic supporter and key provider of encouragement and material resources to the historical amateur.