Tom Licence

Tom Oliver Licence FSA FRHistS is a British historian specialising in the period 950–1200, with an additional interest in Victorian consumer waste. He is Professor of Medieval History and Literature at the University of East Anglia and a former director of the Centre of East Anglian Studies.

Education

Licence attended Westcliff High School for Boys and has an M.A. in history (2002), MPhil in medieval history (2003) and a PhD (2006) from Magdalene College, University of Cambridge. His thesis was titled England's Hermits, 970–1220.

Career

Licence was appointed lecturer at the University of East Anglia in 2009 and became a professor there in 2019. For three years from 2021 he held a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship, which relieved him from teaching duties, to support him in writing a biography of Harold Godwinson for the Yale English Monarchs series. For three years from September 2022 he held a senior research fellowship at Magdalene College, Cambridge.

His work on Victorian consumer waste, represented in his book and website What the Victorians threw away, has attracted international press coverage.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Antiquaries and the Higher Education Academy.

In 2020, Licence's biography of Edward the Confessor was published by Yale University Press as Edward the Confessor: Last of the Royal Blood. The book received broadly positive reviews for its revisionist take on Edward's relationship with the House of Godwin, though historian Marc Morris described it as a "royal disappointment."

Licence's biography of Harold Godwinson, Harold: Warrior King, was published in 2026. He claims that Harold's army did not march from the Battle of Stamford Bridge to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, but sailed, a claim that attracted significant media coverage.

While metal detecting in 2024, he discovered a hoard of 18 Iron Age gold coins; these were dated to between 25 BC and AD 10, in the reign of King Dubnovellaunos, ruler of the Trinovantes tribe. The hoard was classed as treasure and was recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme, but was dis-claimed after no museum bought them. The Bury St Edmunds Hoard was sold by auction in March 2026 for £33,200.

Selected publications

References

  1. 1 2 "Catalogue record for 'England's hermits, 970–1220'". Jisc Library Hub. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Tom Licence". University of East Anglia. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "What East Anglia Threw Away". What the Victorians Threw Away. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2026. Dr Tom Licence is Director of the Centre of East Anglian Studies at the University of East Anglia.
    "The Centre for East Anglian Studies – UEA – University of East Anglia". CEAS. Retrieved 18 January 2026. ... current CEAS Director Dr Richard Mills
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Tom Licence". Magdalene College. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Fallon, Fionnuala (2 April 2016). "Unearthing hidden treasures while working in old gardens". Irish Times. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Frayer, Lauren (1 June 2016). "Digging Up The Roots Of Modern Waste In Victorian-Era Rubbish". National Public Radio. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  7. ↑ Sebastian, Shevlin (24 January 2017). "Finding beauty in rubbish". New Indian Express. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "Edward the Confessor". Yale University Press. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  9. ↑ Lavelle, Ryan (2023). "Review: Edward the Confessor: Last of the Royal Blood". Royal Studies Journal. 1: 196–199.
  10. ↑ Lisle, Leanda de (31 July 2020). "Edward the Confessor by Tom Licence review — England's warrior saint". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Morris, Marc (11 November 2020). "Royal Disappointment: Stripping Edward the Confessor of his independence". History Today. Vol. 70, no. 11. Retrieved 1 May 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ "Harold". Yale University Press. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  13. ↑ The Church Times, "Book review: Harold: Warrior king by Tom Licence", 28 August 2026. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "English history's biggest march is a myth – King Harold sailed to the Battle of Hastings". University of East Anglia. 21 March 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ↑ "Victorians got Battle of Hastings wrong, professor says". BBC News. 21 March 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  16. ↑ Addley, Esther (21 March 2026). "'A fascinating discovery': research challenges Battle of Hastings narrative". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "History professor strikes gold with remarkable Iron Age discovery". University of East Anglia. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  18. ↑ Booth, A. "Finds record for: SF-03C894". The Portable Antiquities Scheme. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  19. ↑ Pitts, Mike (21 February 2026). "How a set of gold coins divided British archaeologists". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 1 May 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "Bury St Edmunds Iron Age coin hoard sells for more than £33,000". BBC News. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  21. ↑ Barr, Jessica (July 2012). "Tom Licence, Hermits and Recluses in English Society, 950–1200 (review)". Speculum. 87 (3): 897. doi:10.1017/S0038713412002461.
  22. ↑ Jones, E.A. "Hermits and Recluses in English Society, 950–1200 (review)". Reviews in History. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  23. ↑ Giandrea, Mary Frances (1 January 2023). "Edward the Confessor: Last of the Royal Blood". Speculum. 98 (1): 296–298. doi:10.1086/723139.
  24. ↑ Shippey, Tom (3 December 2020). "Men Who Keep Wolves". London Review of Books. 42 (23). ISSN 0260-9592. Retrieved 11 March 2025.