Alan Deyermond - Biography

Biography

Deyermond was born in Cairo, Egypt where his father, an officer in the British Army, was stationed. He returned to England with his family in 1936. He began his schooling in Liverpool, and switched to Victoria College, Jersey after the family moved in 1946. He entered Pembroke College, Oxford in 1950 on a scholarship, to read Modern Languages. However, an upper-level course which introduced Medieval Spanish Literature showed him that much fruitful research could be accomplished in that field, and he turned his focus.

In 1953 Deyermond began BLitt research. He published his first article in 1954. He became an assistant lecturer at Westfield in 1955; he received his advanced degree in 1957. Also in 1957, he married Ann Bracken, a History graduate of St Hugh's College, Oxford (they had one daughter, Ruth). He became a tenured professor in 1969. During 1986-1989 he was the vice-principal of Westfield.

Deyermond was a vegetarian from the age of 50 and a lifelong advocate of animal well-being and humane treatment. He was an active supporter of women's rights and feminist academic freedom. He was a member of the Liberal Party in the 1950s and 1960s, when he was involved in the Radical Reform Group. Throughout his life, he was an active member of the Anglican Church. He died on 19 September 2009.