Wedgwood

VERONICA WEDGWOOD (1910 - 1997)

The celebrated historian was born In Stocksfield, the daughter of Sir Ralph Wedgwood, who was for sixteen year the chief general manager of the London and North East Railway. Vaughan Williams, a cousin, dedicated his London Symphony to Sir Ralph. Veronica's mother was Iris (Pawson) a novelist and travel writer, who considered her daughter to be 'a poor, plain little thing.' Veronica was a direct descendant of the great Josiah Wedgwood, and her brother, Sir John was a director of the family firm until 1966.

Veronica was educated privately at home and at Norland Place School in London. before going up to Oxford. She was also a distant relative of G.M. Trevelyan (q.v.) who was a friend of the family. Like him, she was a great walker and tramped the Civil War battlefields she described in her famous books. However, whereas Trevelyan believed that Man had got beyond God, and that a fifty-mile walk was more uplifting than an hour on the knees, Veronica developed a deep and optimistic Christian faith. Her work was not confined to history, and it was she who translated Elias Canetti's extraordinary novel Auto da Fe into English and saw to it that it was published.

AS C.V. Wedgwood she bridged the gap between academic and popular history. Her famous book on the Thirty Years War, and especially those on the English Civil War - The King's Peace (1955), dedicated to Trevelyan, and The King's War (1958) have enthused many a student with a passion for history. Her gift, however, was for narrative rather than analysis, and this meant she had to put up with academic snobbery. She was a noble and generous woman, selflessly active in the cause of refugees and the world of letters in general. She became a Dame in 1968 and OM in 1969.

Myers Literary Guide:	The North-East
VERONICA WEDGWOOD (1910 - 1997) The celebrated historian was born In Stocksfield, the daughter of Sir Ralph Wedgwood, who was for sixteen year the chief general manager of the London and North East Railway. Vaughan Williams, a cousin, dedicated his London Symphony to Sir Ralph. Veronica's mother was Iris (Pawson) a novelist and travel writer, who considered her daughter to be 'a poor, plain little thing.' Veronica was a direct descendant of the great Josiah Wedgwood, and her brother, Sir John was a director of the family firm until 1966. Veronica was educated privately at home and at Norland Place School in London. before going up to Oxford. She was also a distant relative of G.M. Trevelyan (q.v.) who was a friend of the family. Like him, she was a great walker and tramped the Civil War battlefields she described in her famous books. However, whereas Trevelyan believed that Man had got beyond God, and that a fifty-mile walk was more uplifting than an hour on the knees, Veronica developed a deep and optimistic Christian faith. Her work was not confined to history, and it was she who translated Elias Canetti's extraordinary novel Auto da Fe into English and saw to it that it was published. AS C.V. Wedgwood she bridged the gap between academic and popular history. Her famous book on the Thirty Years War, and especially those on the English Civil War - The King's Peace (1955), dedicated to Trevelyan, and The King's War (1958) have enthused many a student with a passion for history. Her gift, however, was for narrative rather than analysis, and this meant she had to put up with academic snobbery. She was a noble and generous woman, selflessly active in the cause of refugees and the world of letters in general. She became a Dame in 1968 and OM in 1969.
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