GREEN, John Richard, English historian: b. Oxford, 12 Dec. 1837; d. Mentone, France, 7 March 1883. He was graduated in 1859 front Jesus College, Oxford, where, since the study of modern history had not yet taken any con siderable place in the university, the officers failed of sympathy with his preference for Mat thew Paris to the classics, In 1860 he was or dained a deacon and became curate of Saint Barnabas, London, in 1863 was appointed to lioly Trinity, Roston, and in 1866 to Saint Philip's, Stepney. Failing health and increas ingly liberal views caused him to withdraw from clerical life, and from 1869 he was li brarian at Lambeth, His first literary work of importance consisted articles, especially brief essays on historical ., n the Saturday Review. In 1874, after having been twice re written, his 'Short History of the English Peo ple) appeared. This work unified English his tory as no other had yet ,done. °What Ma caulay had done for a period of English his says Creighton, ((Green did for it as a Green's purpose was to exhibit the development of popular life by a description of the leading manifestations of social ,progress. The book was skilful in arrangement and artistic in style, and met with an instant and large success. The Author expanded it into his
.'History of English People' (1877430), not only to secure greater fullness but also to defend views merely stated in the smaller work. He then attempted a history for scholars, of which but two parts were published —'The Making of England' (1882), which extends from Britain as left by the Romans to the consolida tion under Egbert, and secured his fame as a critical historian, particularly through his method of employing archaeology for the pur poses of history; and 'The Conquest of Eng land' (1883), which continued the narrative to the arrival of the Normans. Green's influence on historical studies in England was very great, and his 'Short History' and 'History> still hold a foremost rank. The Oxford Historical Society and the 'English Historical Review' were originally suggested by him; and he also published 'Stray Studies in England and Italy> (1876), a reprint of early papers; 'Readings from English History> (1879), a series of extracts; 'A Short Geography of the British Isles' (1880) ; and an edition of Addi son's 'Essays' (1881). His 'Letters' were pub lished in 1901. He is understood to have been the original of Mrs. Humphrey Ward's 'Robert Consult Bryce, 'Studies in Contem porary Biography' (1903).