Andy Orchard


Andrew Philip McDowell "Andy" Orchard, FRSC, FBA is a British academic in Old English, Norse and Celtic literature. He is Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford. He was previously Provost of Trinity College, Toronto, from 2007 to 2013.

Early life

Orchard was born on 27 February 1964 in North London, England. He was educated at University College School, then an all-boys independent school in London.
His undergraduate degree was undertaken at both Queens' College, Cambridge, where he read Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic from 1983, and Exeter College, Oxford, where he read English from 1985. He graduated in 1987 Bachelor of Arts, which was later promoted to Master of Arts. He then undertook postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge, completing his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1990. His doctoral thesis was titled The poetic art of Aldhelm.

Academic career

In 1990, Orchard was a fellow of St John's College, Oxford. He then returned to the University of Cambridge upon completion of his postgraduate degree. In 1991, he became a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge and a lecturer in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic. He was served as Emmanuel College's Admissions Tutor for Arts. In 1999, he was appointed Reader and Head of the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic.
In 2000, he moved to the University of Toronto where he took up the post of Professor of English and Medieval Studies. In 2001, he became the Associate Director of the Centre for Medieval Studies and an Associate of Trinity College, Toronto. He became a fellow of Trinity college in 2003, and Director of the Centre for Medieval Studies in 2004. He was appointed the 14th Provost of Trinity College, University of Toronto in 2007.
In 2013, he moved to the University of Oxford to take up the post of Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and became a fellow of Pembroke College.

Personal life

In 1991, Orchard married his wife Clare Brind in Oxford. Together they have two children.

Honours

Orchard was awarded the Pilkington Prize for excellence in teaching from the University of Cambridge in 1998. In 2012, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. On 16 July 2015, he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy.

Works