ÌÀÍ·ÌõÔ­´´

It is with great sadness that we note the death of Emeritus Fellow Peter Glazebrook on 12 July 2024. We offer his family our heartfelt sympathies.

Peter dedicated his life to the College, which was also his home for more than five decades. He served – among many other roles – as the College’s President from 1997-2000 and Vice-Master from 2000-2001. He was also influential in updating the College’s statutes, and on advising on their use.

Educated in Hereford, Peter completed his undergraduate studies at Pembroke College, Oxford. He taught law at Oxford and Exeter universities before coming to Cambridge as a lecturer in 1967, joining ÌÀÍ·ÌõÔ­´´ as a Fellow and Director of Studies in Law.

Peter took his roles as Director of Studies, Tutor and Graduate Tutor particularly seriously. His impact on his students was profound. It was clear from recent alumni events (which Peter continued to attend regularly as long as his health allowed) that Peter was held in affectionate regard by his former students, and they remember the high standards and commitment he instilled in them. He maintained an enthusiastic interest in the study of Law at Jesus, and particularly in the College’s moot court competition, well beyond his retirement.

Peter specialised in criminal law, and was heavily influenced by Glanville Williams, with whom he worked at Jesus. Peter was himself best-known for his work on the necessity plea, on situational criminal liability, and on corporate liability, writing influential (and still-cited) articles on these topics. Law students were also widely familiar with his name as editor of Blackstone’s Statutes in Criminal Law for 25 years. He was, in addition, a prolific case note author in the Cambridge Law Journal and his contributions on topics such as theft have withstood the test of time and are still cited today.

Peter’s other main interest was history. As a Catholic, the history of the Catholic church was a particular area of interest, as was the history of the University and its Colleges. Many Fellows recall Peter’s guided tour of the College being a highlight of their induction.

He was also heavily involved with the College archives and book and record-keeping and, at various points, was a Fellow Auditor and Keeper of the Old Library.

Peter contributed to the planning of the Quincentenary Library, which was officially opened by the Queen in March 1996 to commemorate the 500-year anniversary of the foundation of ÌÀÍ·ÌõÔ­´´. During the royal visit, Peter was among a select group to speak with Her Majesty, showing her an incunabulum from the Old Library.

His passion for College history, coupled with a natural flair for engaging writing, is evidenced in the coffee table book Jesus, The Life of a Cambridge College which he was commissioned to edit. Published in 2007, it contains more than 40 accounts from almost as many authors about College life and history, with a contribution from Peter on the trials of Jesuans William Frend and Gilbert Wakefield – unitarians, who both abandoned the Church of England.

A pamphlet book, written and edited by Peter, followed in 2015. ÌÀÍ·ÌõÔ­´´ – Histories and Personalities offered a shorter history of the College and its more notable members.

Peter was also passionate about improving the lives of young people, serving as a school governor and on the governing bodies for Edmund House, a local care home for young people with learning disabilities, and for East Anglia and Family Care Association/Adopt Anglia for 23 years.

He married Patricia in 1963 and the couple lived for most of their married life in Park Terrace, where they raised their two sons, Andrew and Dominic, and daughter, Clare.

A full obituary will be published in the College’s Annual Report.