Alexandra Barratt

New Zealand literary scholar (born 1945) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alexandra Anne Talbot Barratt (née Carr) is a New Zealand academic, and is professor emerita at the University of Waikato. Barratt is a specialist in medieval manuscripts.

Born1945
Theses
  • Fifteenth century lyrics on the Passion and their reading public (1969)
  • Two Middle English translations of Aelred of Rievaulx's 'De Institutione Inclusaram' (1973)
Quick facts Born, Academic background ...
Alexandra Barratt
Born1945
Academic background
Theses
  • Fifteenth century lyrics on the Passion and their reading public (1969)
  • Two Middle English translations of Aelred of Rievaulx's 'De Institutione Inclusaram' (1973)
Doctoral advisorA. G. Rigg
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Waikato
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Academic career

Barratt completed master's at Carleton University in 1969 followed by a PhD with her thesis titled Two Middle English translations of Aelred of Rievaulx's 'De Institutione Inclusaram' at the University of Toronto in 1973, supervised by A. G. Rigg.[1][2] Barratt then joined the faculty of the University of Waikato, rising to full professor in 1997.[3] During her time at Waikato, Barratt had been Chairperson of the English department, Chairperson of Humanities, and had served on the University Council as Academic Representative.[3][4] She retired in 2010, and was appointed professor emerita in 2011, in recognition of more than thirty years of service and her "outstanding contribution to the university".[3]

Barratt studied medieval manuscripts and has written nine books.[3] She was responsible for identifying a 13th century psalter in the Alexander Turnbull library that had been misclassified as a fifteenth century Book of Hours. The Flemish psalter MSR-26, dated 1275–1300, was gifted to the Diocese of Wellington by William Burgoyne Hudson, brother of entomologist George Hudson.[5] After her retirement, Barratt has been studying the 'manuscript waste' found in manuscripts and early printed books in New Zealand.[6] For instance, Barratt was called on by Auckland Libraries to examine parchment strips that were found in the binding of a late 15th century printed German bible in their collection. Barratt identified the strips as 1200-year old bible fragments.[7]

Personal life

Barratt's parents were Frederick and Joan Carr. Her godmother was Dame Margot Fonteyn.[8][9] She donated a Len Castle pot to the University in memory of her husband, scientist Robert Welch ONZM, who died in 2020.[10]

Selected works

References

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