Francis William Steer

Francis William Steer OStJ MA DLitt FSA
Born	10 August 1912 Ashingdon, England
Died	23 September 1978 (aged 66) Chichester, England
Occupation	Antiquarian, archivist, herald
Language	English
Nationality	English

Francis William Steer, OStJ, FSA (1912–1978) was an English antiquarian, archivist, and herald.

From 1953 Steer was archivist and librarian to the bishop, dean, and chapter of Chichester. In 1956, he became archivist and librarian to the Duke of Norfolk at Arundel. Though he had never attended university, in 1959 Steer was awarded a Lambeth degree by Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher in recognition of his work, and subsequently received both an MA from the University of Oxford in 1974 and a doctorate from the University of Sussex in 1978. The Duke of Norfolk appointed him Maltravers Herald Extraordinary.^[1]

Among Steer's many publications is the catalogue of the archives of New College, Oxford, which he had ordered for many years.

A memorial plaque in New College recognizes Steer's work for the college. An oil painting of him by Audrey Jennings can be seen in the West Sussex Record Office.^[2]

References

1. G. H. Martin. 'Steer, Francis William', in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved on 8 August 2015.
2. BBC. Your Paintings. Uncovering the Nation's Art Collection - Francis William Steer (1912-1978). Retrieved on 8 August 2015.