Anthony J. Camp | |
---|---|
Born | November 1937 | (age 86)
Education | Alleyne's Grammar School |
Alma mater | University College London |
Known for | Genealogy |
Awards | Freedom of the City of London (1984) MBE (1999) |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | Society of Genealogists Association of Genealogists and Record Agents Birkbeck College, University of London |
Website | anthonyjcamp.com |
Anthony John Camp MBE (born November 1937) is a British genealogist and former director of the Society of Genealogists.[1]
Camp was born at Walkern, near Stevenage, Hertfordshire. His father was an agricultural carpenter and builder, particularly of corn-drying silos for farmers, and his mother worked at Walkern Hall; the family lived at the estate lodge, where Camp remained until his mother's death in 1973, at which time he moved to London.[2]
Camp was educated at Alleyne's Grammar School in Stevenage, and at University College London, where he took a BA with honours in Ancient and Medieval History.[3]
Camp has described genealogy as "a very exact science that makes a clear distinction between the facts that have been proved and those that have not", claiming that the distinction between the two can be confirmed by "one's expertise and knowledge of sources".[3]
Having started work at the Society of Genealogists under Sir Anthony Wagner as a research assistant in 1957, Camp became Director of Research there in 1962, and Director (and Company Secretary) of the Society in 1979. He oversaw the first weekend course in genealogy in 1965, and played a major role in development of regular publishing and a bookshop at the Society.
Camp has written numerous books on genealogy, the first being Tracing Your Ancestors (1964). His "Diary of a Genealogist" appeared in Family Tree Magazine from 1984 to 1998. He has lectured in Britain as well as overseas, including in the United States and Australia. Camp played a leading part in the foundation of the Association of Genealogists and Record Agents in 1968, serving as vice-president from 1980 to 2011, and elected a Fellow in 2011. For many years he served as External Assessor for the University of London's courses in Genealogy and the History of the Family organised at Birkbeck College.
Camp was given the Freedom of the City of London in 1984, and was appointed MBE in 1999.[4][5]