In Memoriam: Geoffrey Thomas Leslie Ashe, MBE FRSL (29 March 1923–30 January 2022)

Abstract

In MemoriamGeoffrey Thomas Leslie Ashe, MBE FRSL (29 March 1923–30 January 2022) Christopher Snyder Click for larger view View full resolution In January the Arthurian world lost one of its most prolific and enthusiastic voices with the passing of independent scholar Geoffrey Ashe. Known especially for his work with the Camelot Research Committee in the late 1960s and for identifying Riothamus as a candidate for the historical King [End Page 102] Arthur, Geoffrey Ashe's writing about Arthur dates back to his 1957 book King Arthur's Avalon: The Story of Glastonbury. A London native educated at the University of British Columbia and Trinity College, Cambridge, Ashe penned works on Gandhi and mysticism as well as his many books on Arthur, Merlin, and the history and legends surrounding Glastonbury, where he had resided since 1974. Co-founding the Camelot Research Committee with archaeologists Ralegh Radford and Leslie Alcock, Ashe served as editor of The Quest for Arthur's Britain (1971), the book that introduced many to the excavations at such Arthurian sites as Tintagel, Glastonbury, and South Cadbury hillfort. In a 1981 Speculum article Ashe put forward a case for the Legend of St. Goeznovius being the 'very ancient book' that provided Geoffrey of Monmouth with part of his Arthurian narrative. This was followed by a more detailed argument, one involving the historical British warlord Riothamus (fl. 470), made in his book The Discovery of King Arthur (1985), in subsequent pieces in Arthuriana, and on numerous televised documentaries. While an energetic advocate for Arthur-Riothamus, Ashe recognized the limitations of our historical evidence for the period and encouraged the quests of others looking for Arthurian origins. He was a kind and generous host to many Arthurian scholars and students who visited him over the years, whether touring Glastonbury Abbey or having tea at his home at the foot of Glastonbury Tor. In 2012 at the New Year Honours, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II recognized Geoffrey Ashe as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for Services to Heritage. As Norris Lacy, his co-editor for The Arthurian Handbook (1988) wrote in Arthuriana in 2013, Ashe was an 'Eminent Arthurian,' 'a popularizer, but in the best sense of the word'—he joyfully shared medieval history, literature, and scholarship with the broadest of audiences. He advised numerous contemporary Arthurian novelists, most notably Marion Zimmer Bradley, and helped the producers of the 1967 film Camelot locate Arthur's court in Somerset. Geoffrey Ashe is synonymous with the quest for an historical King Arthur, and he met both the fame and the 'slings and arrows' that came with this role equally with great courtoisie. [End Page 103] Christopher Snyder Mississippi State University Copyright © 2022 Arthuriana