A Newnham tribute to Dame Janet (Jinty) Nelson (NC 1961)

Newnham wishes to pay tribute to the wonderful Dame Janet (Jinty) Nelson (NC 1961) who sadly died on 14 October 2024. Jinty was a notable historian with an important impact; she became the first female president of the Royal Historical Society (RHS) in 2000, President of the Ecclesiastical History Society (1993-4) and Vice-President of the British Academy (2000-1). She received a DBE in 2006 in recognition of her services to History. She taught at King’s College London which she joined in 1970, becoming a Professor in 1993.

A superb and hugely respected historian of early medieval Europe, she is widely known for her publications, which include The Frankish World, 750–900 (1996), Courts, Elites and Gendered Power in the Early Middle Ages (2007), and King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne (2019).

Her close friend, colleague and fellow RHS Councillor, Professor Pauline Stafford, offers a beautiful memoir of Jinty as a champion of history, a teacher, scholar and collaborator with so many across the discipline. Read the full memoir on the RHS website.

Beyond her many successes, alumna Jinty was also well loved and respected by many members of the Newnham community.

Dr Gill Sutherland, Fellow Emerita and former Director of Studies in History, tells us, ‘Jinty was not only an outstanding historian but also a fine and warm person. Utterly without pretension, she was as welcoming and supportive to the youngest, most tentative student as to any colleague full of years and dignity. It is difficult to think of anyone better fitted to serve as the first woman President of the Royal Historical Society.’

Fellow Emerita and former Director of Studies in ASNaC, Professor Judy Quinn confirms her status as an excellent role model; ‘Although Jinty had long left Cambridge by the time I joined the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic in 2000, whenever I met her at events in London or in Cambridge she was always eager to hear news of Newnham students working in the field of medieval studies and was endlessly encouraging. She was and will remain a remarkable role model: friendly, engaging, powerful — but most of all enabling.’

Professor Emerita in Medieval History, Dr Rosamond McKitterick adds a moving tribute; ‘The death of Jinty Nelson has left the community of early medievalist scholars worldwide bereft of a wonderful, never-failingly intellectually stimulating colleague and dear friend. She was justly celebrated for the distinctive way she deployed her profound understanding of Frankish history in the early Middle Ages as a framework within which to reflect upon early medieval culture and society in general. Many of her articles, such as her study of the ‘Jezebel’ Merovingian queens, Brunhild and Balthild, became classics in the field. Jinty was well established in her lectureship at KCL by the time I took up my Research Fellowship at Newnham in 1974, but we had both been a doctoral student of Walter Ullmann and that shared experience forged a powerful connection. We most often met at conferences, sometimes in Britain but more usually in Paris, Vienna, Frankfurt, Rome or Spoleto. At one of the annual themed conferences in Spoleto, on this occasion Justice in Europe between the ninth and eleventh centuries we, together with Régine Le Jan of Paris, Mayke de Jong of Utrecht and Hanna Vollrath of Bochum, were dubbed ‘Les femmes carolingiennes’ by the other participants. Everyone who knew Jinty, in all her personal and professional capacities, will treasure particular memories of her. One of mine is our seizing a break in a hefty conference programme in a grand venue in Vienna where there was a piano for Jinty to play (she was a fine pianist), together with a young colleague who by amazing good fortune had his flute with him, for us to perform Bach’s Coffee Cantata.’

Deputy Development Director and alumna Emma Raccagni (NC 2000) had the great privilege of being taught by Jinty as an undergraduate at UCL in London and echoes this sentiment about how supportive she was and integral to her own confidence-building. Beyond that, ‘she was inspiring, challenging, and a great teacher. She was renowned for her office - loads of books and papers everywhere in archaeological layers! And for her erudition and deep knowledge and love of her subject.’

Assistant Tutor Debby Banham adds, ‘What I'd like to draw attention to, apart from Jinty's huge impact on our knowledge of the early Middle Ages, is her importance as a role model for female scholars. I know she and her friend Pauline Stafford felt like a tiny minority when they started out, and both made it their business to foster the careers of women in the following generations. In my case, Jinty's influence was largely indirect, although she was always very kind to me, especially when I was working in London, at Birkbeck. But, arriving as a student in an Anglo Saxon, Norse and Celtic (ASNaC) department with an entirely male senior membership, following the deaths of Dorothy Whitelock and Kathleen Hughes, it helped me just to know that people like Jinty and Pauline existed, as well as our own Catherine Hills, of course.’

Miriam Margolyes (NC 1960), Newnham alumna, ends with, 'A superb person in every way. Was with me on University Challenge in 1962. A fine scholar. A lovely, modest kind person. I honour her dear memory.'

Our thoughts are with all those who knew Dame Janet.