Tracy Borman: “History is about human beings, not just dates and events”
Tracy is Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces and a successful author best known for Elizabeth’s Women, a study of Elizabeth I told through the women who influenced her. She gained her undergraduate, Masters and PhD at Hull, taught here and received an honorary degree in 2017.
Degree
BA, MA, PhD History
Year of graduation
1997
Current occupation
Joint Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces
You’ve had a long relationship with the University of Hull. Looking back on your time here, what role would you say we had in your life and career?
The University has played a huge role in my life and career and I will be forever grateful to it for that. I will freely admit that I didn’t want to go to university – I was such a homebird that the prospect of living in a different city terrified me! But from the moment I first visited Hull on an Open Day, I felt at home. I put it down as my first choice but, really, I’d already decided that it was my only choice.
Ironically, given I’d been so reticent about going to university, I ended up staying at Hull for almost seven years. The knowledge and skills that I gained along the way have been invaluable to my future career as a historian, author, and broadcaster. One of the most useful things I studied was a course in palaeography as part of my MA in Historical Research. Learning how to decipher old handwriting was basically like code-breaking. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to do half of the extensive original research that has underpinned my books.
Put simply, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Hull and I owe the University a debt of gratitude that I will never be able to repay.
On a more personal level, I made lifelong friendships during my years at Hull and it really broadened my horizons. I can’t imagine what I’d be doing or even where I’d be living if I hadn’t confronted my fears about university and had stayed at home in Lincoln. Put simply, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Hull, and I owe the University a debt of gratitude that I will never be able to repay.
When did you realise history was going to be important in your life – and what were the defining moments in your becoming a historian?
I’ve loved history for as long as I can remember. One of my first summer jobs was dressing up as a Victorian jailer and showing visitors around Lincoln Castle prison. My passion for the subject was really ignited by my A level history teacher, Judith Jones. She brought it to life for me – the Tudors in particular.
Another defining moment happened in the careers’ library at the University of Hull. It was when I was studying for my MA and, although I loved the course, I was anxious about the fact that I still didn’t know what to do with my life after completing it. A conversation with a careers’ adviser at my A level college kept playing over and over in my mind. He told me that the only career option for someone who liked history was to teach, otherwise, I should keep it as a hobby.
But while leafing through an A-Z of careers in the library, the page opened at ‘Heritage Management’. It was a real lightbulb moment. I loved the idea of working in historic sites and I immediately began searching for opportunities. I did some volunteering while studying for my PhD and after finally graduating, I moved down to London and got whatever jobs I could in heritage – and there were some dead-end ones! But they all counted on the CV and enabled me to gradually work my way up, specialising in public engagement and, ultimately, curating.
A key moment for my career as a writer came when I was working as Events and Exhibitions Manager at The National Archives. I invited Alison Weir, Britain’s best-selling female historian, whose work I hugely admired, to give a talk. We hit it off straight away and when I told her I would love to write a book, she was so encouraging. She helped me to develop a proposal to show an agent, and it all went from there. I think when you have those chance encounters or lucky breaks in life, you have to grab them with both hands.
“Only by learning from the examples of the past
can we shape our present and future”
You have written extensively about British monarchs, particularly the Tudors, and are Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces. What is it about the stories and lives of the monarchs that fascinates you?
Again, I have my A level history teacher to thank for this. She made me realise that history is about human beings, not just dates and events. Whenever I tackle a subject, I try to look behind the public image to the real person underneath. It has made me realise that, despite the enormous transformation we have witnessed over the past 500 or so years, human nature hasn’t changed that much.
One question that I’m asked repeatedly is ‘why are we are so obsessed with the Tudors?’ For me, the answer is obvious -because it’s the most exciting, dramatic and transformative period in British history. You have a king who marries six times, a virgin queen, swashbuckling adventurers, poets, and playwrights. It’s a gloriously self-confident age defined by the larger-than-life personalities of the monarchs. And even though it’s such a popular period, new discoveries are always coming to light – such as Anne Boleyn’s carved falcon, which came up at auction without the seller realising what it was. Such discoveries mean that there’s always something to keep people, myself included, coming back for more.
Why is history important? And what can we do to nurture the next generation of historians?
History is hugely important. Only by learning from the examples – both good and bad – of the past can we shape our present and future. It really frustrates me when people dismiss it as irrelevant because so much has changed since, say, Tudor times. But as I said, human nature doesn’t change that much and there are other parallels too. Henry VIII sparked widespread social unrest and division by separating England from the rest of Europe in his quest for an annulment. Sounds familiar?
History is hugely important in so many ways. Only by learning from the examples – both good and bad – of the past can we shape our present and future.
In terms of nurturing future generations, I’m a firm believer that history in all its forms can be inspiring. You don’t just have to read weighty non-fiction tomes. There is huge value in historical fiction, television documentaries and dramas, films, re-enactments, and so on. All it takes is that single spark to ignite a lifetime passion for the subject. And a passion for history is the single most important ingredient for a successful and fulfilling career, whether that’s teaching, writing, presenting or caring for our history.
What does being an Honorary Graduate of the University of Hull mean to you?
It meant the world to me when I was awarded an Honorary Degree by the University in 2017. I feel enormously privileged to have been recognised in this way by an institution that has had such a formative impact on my life and career. I have a photograph of me receiving the degree proudly displayed in my study. If ever I’m suffering from a lack of motivation with my writing or other work, I just look at that and feel humbled and inspired all over again.
Ed Parnell
BA American Studies, 1996
Edward Parnell, a 1996 graduate in American Studies, is the author of Ghostland, shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley 2020 Award. His debut novel, The Listeners, won the Rethink New Novels Prize in 2014.
Indhu Rubasingham
BA (Hons) Drama, 1992
Indhu’s achievements have long been a source of pride for our community. In 2017, the same year as her MBE award, she received an Honorary Doctorate. The next year, in 2018, Indhu returned to campus to take part in a ‘Women in Leadership’ event.
Robbie Hawkins
BA History and Politics, 2015
“It was great seeing the enthusiasm of the students about radio and news. It was very rewarding and I was made to feel very welcome.”