Fonds Tanner - Papers of Joseph Robson Tanner

Following schooling at Mill Hill School, London, Tanner entered St John's College in 1879. He took a First Class in the Historical Tripos in 1882, and subsequently spent his career at St John's, serving as Lecturer (1883-1921), Fellow (1886-1931), Tutor (1900-12), and Tutorial Bursar (1900-21). From 1885 to 1893 he was also the Indian Civil Service Teacher of Indian history. Tanner was an able administrator and served the University as a member of the Council of the Senate, as Chairman of the Special Board for History and Archaeology, and as a Syndic of the University Press.

Tanner's pupils remembered him for his sympathy, humour, and inspiration, and his lectures attracted large classes. His interests lay primarily in 17th-century English naval history (he published editions of Samuel Pepys's naval minutes and correspondence), and Tudor and Stuart constitutional history (in which field he published three books). In 1918 Tanner became one of the editors of the 'Cambridge Medieval History', the eight volumes of which were completed in 1936. Tanner died in 1931 and was a generous benefactor to his College library.