J. P. Carswell
Encyclopedia
John Patrick Carswell CB
FRSL
(30 May 1918 - 12 November 1997) was an English
civil servant and author
who served as Secretary of the British Academy
from 1978 to 1983. Professionally and as an author, he was known as J. P. Carswell.
, a barrister
and author, and of Catherine Carswell
, also an author, he was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
, and St John's College, Oxford
.
in 1940, during the Second World War, and then joined the British Army
. He served from 1940 to 1946, when he decided to enter HM Civil Service. His first significant appointment was as Joint Secretary to the Committee on Economic and Financial Problems of Provision for Old Age (the Phillips Committee), from 1953 to 1954, and he was promoted Assistant Secretary
in 1955. He became Principal Private Secretary
to the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance
in 1955 and was at HM Treasury
from 1961 to 1964, when he became Under-secretary in the Office of the Lord President of the Council
and Minister for Science. Later the same year he transferred to become Under-secretary at the Department of Education and Science
and Ministry of Health, remaining until 1974. He was Secretary to the University Grants Committee
from 1974 until 1977, and his last appointment was as Secretary of the British Academy
for five years, 1978 to 1983.
He was a member of the Garrick Club
.
He also contributed to the Times Literary Supplement and other periodicals.
.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
FRSL
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
(30 May 1918 - 12 November 1997) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
civil servant and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who served as Secretary of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
from 1978 to 1983. Professionally and as an author, he was known as J. P. Carswell.
Early life
The son of Donald CarswellDonald Carswell
Donald Carswell was a Scottish barrister, journalist and author. He married 1915 Catherine Roxburgh Macfarlane in 1915; their only child, a son, was J. P. Carswell .- References :...
, a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and author, and of Catherine Carswell
Catherine Carswell
Catherine Roxburgh Carswell was a Scottish author, biographer and journalist, now known as one of the few women who took part in the Scottish Renaissance...
, also an author, he was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....
, and St John's College, Oxford
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
.
Career
Carswell completed his degree course at OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 1940, during the Second World War, and then joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. He served from 1940 to 1946, when he decided to enter HM Civil Service. His first significant appointment was as Joint Secretary to the Committee on Economic and Financial Problems of Provision for Old Age (the Phillips Committee), from 1953 to 1954, and he was promoted Assistant Secretary
Assistant Secretary
Assistant Secretary is a grade in the British Civil Service, now more commonly styled Divisional Manager or Deputy Director. In the grading scheme they are denoted Grade 5....
in 1955. He became Principal Private Secretary
Principal Private Secretary
In the British Civil Service and Australian Public Service the Principal Private Secretary is the civil servant who runs a cabinet minister's private office...
to the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance
Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance
The Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance or MPNI was a British government ministry responsible for the administration and delivery of welfare benefits...
in 1955 and was at HM Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
from 1961 to 1964, when he became Under-secretary in the Office of the Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
and Minister for Science. Later the same year he transferred to become Under-secretary at the Department of Education and Science
Department of Education and Science
The phrase Department of Education and Science refers to government departments in the UK or Ireland* For the former Irish government department, see Department of Education and Skills...
and Ministry of Health, remaining until 1974. He was Secretary to the University Grants Committee
University Grants Committee (UK)
The University Grants Committee was an advisory committee of the British government, which advised on the distribution of grant funding amongst the British universities. It was in existence from 1919 until 1989...
from 1974 until 1977, and his last appointment was as Secretary of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
for five years, 1978 to 1983.
He was a member of the Garrick Club
Garrick Club
The Garrick Club is a gentlemen's club in London.-History:The Garrick Club was founded at a meeting in the Committee Room at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on Wednesday 17 August 1831...
.
Books
- The Prospector, 1950
- The Old Cause, 1954
- The South Sea Bubble, 1960, 2nd edition 1993
- The Diary and Political Papers of George Bubb Dodington (ed with L. A. Dralle), 1965
- The Civil Servant and his World, 1966
- The Descent on England, 1969
- From Revolution to Revolution: English Society 1688-1776, 1973
- Lives and Letters, 1978
- The Exile: a memoir of Ivy Litvinov, 1983
- Government and the Universities in Britain: Programme and Performance 1960-1980, 1986
- The Porcupine: a life of Algernon Sidney, 1989
- The Saving of Kenwood and the Northern Heights, 1992
Articles
- Algernon Sidney's 'Court Maxims': The Biographical Importance of a Transcript, in: Historical Research (HR) 62, February 1989, pp. 96-103
- Lost for words on "the heritage", letter, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 8 September 1983, p. 11
He also contributed to the Times Literary Supplement and other periodicals.
Honours
- Companion of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, 1977 - Honorary Research Fellow, Department of History, University College LondonUniversity College LondonUniversity College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, 1983 - Life Member of the Institute of Historical ResearchInstitute of Historical ResearchThe Institute of Historical Research is a British educational organisation providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is part of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London and is located at Senate House. The Institute was founded in 1921 by A. F...
, University of LondonUniversity of London-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, 1984 - Fellow of the Royal Society of LiteratureRoyal Society of LiteratureThe Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
, 1984
Family
In 1944, Carswell married Ianthe Elstob, and they had two daughters. Ianthe Elstob was the daughter of a naval officer and his wife Ivy Elstob and the stepdaughter of Irving Davis, author of the posthumous A Catalan Cookery Book: a Collection of Impossible Recipes (1969). Ianthe Carswell died in 2001. In 1957, with Sheila Jones, she had formed the National Committee for the Abolition of Nuclear Tests, which evolved into the Campaign for Nuclear DisarmamentCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
.