Grace College Dean of Arts and Humanities Releases New Book

Dr. Mark Marston Norris, dean of the school of arts and humanities and professor of history, recently published his book, “The Rise of the Manners Dynasty in Mid-Tudor England: A Social History of English Politics” with Edwin Mellen Press. The book details the Manners family in the 1500s.

“We are proud of this distinguished work of Dr. Norris and his diligence to complete this work amidst the regular load of being a dean and professor,” said Dr. Kevin Roberts, provost of Grace College.

Norris holds a bachelor’s in English and History from Spring Arbor and a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in British History from the University of Edinburgh, U.K. He has been teaching at Grace College for 19 years, since he first came to relaunch the history program in 2004.

The book is a result of 34 years of hard work, from the start of Norris’ Ph.D. thesis in 1988 to the release of the revised book version in December 2022.

“I was first introduced to the Manners Dynasty when I was pursuing my Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh in the U.K.,” said Norris. “Because nothing had been written on the family at that point, I saw a unique opportunity to study their history and teach others about their lives.”

During the writing of his thesis, Norris spent time researching in London, and he also visited Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, where the family lived, to look through records and manuscripts from the sixteenth century.

“It was before the rise of individualism, so to see how the whole family worked together as a unit was really interesting,” Norris said. “With their clients and their property, they could lose a lot if they tried to look at their individual conscience. There was a sense of community.”

Now that the book is complete, Norris looks forward to using his work in “Britain and the World,” one of the courses he teaches at Grace.

“The Rise of the Manners Dynasty in Mid-Tudor England: A Social History of English Politics” His book can be purchased at https://mellenpress.com/author/mark-marston-norris/8496/.

Norris is also the coach of the Grace College Mediation team, which had a record-breaking season in 2022. The team will be competing in Bologna, Italy, over spring break to compete against teams from around the world.

To learn more about the School of Arts and Humanities and the opportunities it affords students, visit www.grace.edu/academics/undergraduate/academic-schools-departments/school-of-arts-and-humanities/.