My father, Jeremy Goring, who has died aged 93, spent 20 years instructing mid-Sixteenth century Tudor historical past at Goldsmiths, College of London, finally changing into dean of humanities there earlier than taking early retirement in 1987.
Whereas at Goldsmiths he was a pioneer of “historical past on the bottom”, a hands-on strategy to instructing native and regional (relatively than nationwide) historical past that concerned taking college students everywhere in the south-east of England to websites of historic curiosity in a school minibus.
Jeremy was born in Hassocks, West Sussex, to Leonard, who labored for Gorings, the household promoting company in London, and his spouse, Elsie (nee Bibby). Each his mother and father got here from radical nonconformist backgrounds, which had an excellent affect on their son, not least in his lifelong vegetarianism and his curiosity in pure therapeutic and non-violent resistance. After attending Brighton and Hove grammar faculty he studied historical past at New School, Oxford and accomplished a PhD at London College, earlier than coming into the Unitarian ministry.
His church in Lewisham turned well-known throughout London when, in 1959, it opened its doorways on Christmas Day to all those that would in any other case have been alone. That pioneering scheme ran for six years, and exhausted although Jeremy invariably was by the top of the day, every time he felt “a glow of satisfaction similar to I had by no means earlier than skilled at Christmas”.
In 1958 he married Rosemary Blake. By 1965 the third of their 4 kids had been born, and, needing a extra substantial revenue than his stipend, he gave up his ministry in order that he might educate historical past at West Greenwich secondary fashionable faculty in close by Deptford, the place he survived largely as a result of the category ringleader took a shine to him. Discovering it powerful going, after two years he utilized for the job at Goldsmiths.
Having retired from that submit, Jeremy skilled as a psychotherapist, volunteering for the charity Freedom from Torture and have become honorary minister of Westgate chapel in Lewes, East Sussex, working to reconcile the city’s non secular denominations in recognition of the unease that many Catholics there really feel round Bonfire Night time, when an effigy of Pope Paul V is historically burned within the city.
Within the early Nineteen Nineties Jeremy joined the Nigerian-based Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, making frequent visits to Africa. In 1997 he virtually died after contracting cerebral malaria, however recovered and went on to jot down Burn Holy Hearth! (2003), a non secular historical past of Lewes, after which a biography of the Spanish poet Antonio Machado, printed in 2020 when he was 90.
Jeremy additionally wrote numerous historic articles, primarily about Sussex, and was a prolific letter-writer to the Guardian. A sort and compassionate man, he was an affectionate and loving father, grandfather and husband.
He’s survived by Rosemary, his kids, Charlie, George, Danny and me, 5 grandchildren and by his brother Roger.
