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His life was the uneventful one of a
scholar who knew exactly what he could do, and how best he could do it.
He was the son of the Rev. Thomas Little, rector of Princes Risborough.
Educated at Clifton and Balliol College, Oxford, he took a First in
Modern History in 1886. During the next two years he was abroad studying
palæography at Dresden and Göttingen. Returning to England he worked
on his first book, The Grey Friars in Oxford, which he published
in 1892. In the following year he married Alice Jane, daughter of
William Hart of Fingrith Hall, Blackmore, Essex.
His academic life began with a lectureship at University
College, Cardiff, where he later became Professor of History, but in
1901 he was obliged to resign from the chair owing to his wife's ill
health. Shortly afterwards he settled at Sevenoaks, which remained his
home until the end of his life. His next appointment was the inspiration
of the late Professor Tout, who about 1902 was busy building up at
Manchester that school of history which was to play so creative a part
in modern English historical studies. Tout saw in Little the ideal
teacher of palæography for his post-graduate students, and from 1902
until 1928 Little was engaged upon some of the most interesting and
fruitful teaching work of his career.
Little's interest in Franciscan studies began to be
apparent in his earliest papers, and it deepened with the passing of the
years. His desire to share his enthusiasm |
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with others led him, in 1902, to form the British
Society of Franciscan studies, and it was through this association that
he did much of his own work, and extended his influence over other
scholars. In 1907, the Society became one for the publication of
original studies and documents connected with Franciscan history. The
last of the Society's publications was issued in 1937. Through all those
years Little acted as Chairman of the Committee and general editor of
publications, and after the death of his friend Paul Sabatier in 1928 he
succeeded him as President. Of the publications which appeared during
those years there was hardly one which did not contain something from
his pen, either by way of an original contribution, or of collaboration,
or editing. His output of scholarly papers, editions of texts, studies,
and documents, was notable. Many of them were written by a specialist
for specialists, but there were some which reached a wider public. It is
unnecessary to list them all, for when the work of the British Society
of Franciscan Studies was completed in 1937, some of Little's
colleagues, admirers, and friends (and who could meet him and not wish
to one!) celebrated the event by presenting him with an address and a
bibliography of his writings1, while in
1943 he himself made a collection of those of his scattered
1 An Address presented
to Andrew George Little, with a bibliography of his writings. Oxford
Univ. Press. Privately printed, 1938. |