Just heard the very sad news about Francis Newton, an expert in the manuscripts of Monte Cassino. He was very kind to me as a PhD student and beyond. It truly was a blessing to know him and learn from him -- both about Beneventan palaeography and how to be generous with knowledge. Requiescat in pace - ThreadSky

ccurran.bsky.social • 7 days ago

Just heard the very sad news about Francis Newton, an expert in the manuscripts of Monte Cassino. He was very kind to me as a PhD student and beyond. It truly was a blessing to know him and learn from him -- both about Beneventan palaeography and how to be generous with knowledge. Requiescat in pace

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ccurran.bsky.social•7 days ago

When I first met him, I told him how much his Monte Cassino book helped me with my approach to Insular-Caroline hybrid scripts, and that it was the first book I bought when I had enough money to do so. "Oh", he said, "I would've just sent you a copy if I knew you needed it."

carinr.bsky.social•7 days ago

I'm sorry I never met him!

lisafdavis.bsky.social•7 days ago

He was a titan but also so kind and generous. He was also my Doktorgroßvater! An enormous loss to the field and to us all.

ccurran.bsky.social•7 days ago

I didn't know he was your Doktorgroßvater!!

lisafdavis.bsky.social•7 days ago

Yes! My advisor Bob Babcock was Newton's advisee. And Newton himself worked with Ullman! I really love that intellectual pedigree.

lisafdavis.bsky.social•7 days ago

On another side of my intellectual family, as it were, I can also work my way back from Lilian M. C. Randall, who trained me in manuscript description, to Dorothy Miner (who trained Randall) to Belle da Costa Greene, who trained Miner!

carinr.bsky.social•7 days ago

In the early 90s on ANSAXNET there was kind of prosopography of those then known as Anglo-Saxonists. It could be helpful and instructive to compile such a chart for paleographers now, as we are losing the last generation who studied with the last of the 19th- and early-20th-c. greats.

spanishspy.bsky.social•7 days ago

may he rest in peace

aristofontes.bsky.social•7 days ago

An extraordinary scholar, and one of the kindest and most courteous people I've ever met.

mqassiti.bsky.social•7 days ago

This is a loss, not only for #paelaography studies, but also for #histsci #histmed. Currently working with several of his publications, including “Medicine at Monte Cassino”, which he published with @erikkwakkel.bsky.social.

ahokas.bsky.social•7 days ago

Sad news, a great scholar of Monte Cassino. Requiescat in pace.

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