November 27, 1942 – April 3, 2025
With deep sadness, the Department of English at the University of Toronto marks the passing of Professor Emeritus Ian Lancashire, who died in Toronto on April 3, 2025. A gifted scholar, teacher, and mentor, Professor Lancashire made an indelible impact on the University and on the fields of early English drama, historical linguistics, and digital humanities.
After earning his MA and PhD at U of T following a BA from the University of Manitoba, Professor Lancashire joined the Department of English in 1968. He began teaching at Erindale College (now UTM) before moving to New College in the 1980s and becoming a full professor in 1984. A leading scholar of Tudor drama, Lancashire was a co-founder of Records of Early English Drama (REED), and his edition of Two Tudor Interludes (1980) remains influential. His Dramatic Texts and Records of Britain (1984) set new standards for research in early theatre history. As a long-time REED advisor and committee member, he helped guide its development over many years.
In the early 1980s, Lancashire began a pioneering turn toward what would become the digital humanities. In 1986, he founded the Centre for Computing in the Humanities (CCH), the first of its kind in Canada, and he would help to integrate digital methods into humanities research across the country. His leadership of CCH for over a decade positioned U of T as a global centre for innovation in the field.
His major digital projects include Representative Poetry Online—one of the earliest and most used open-access poetry databases—and Lexicons of Early Modern English (LEME), an online resource in historical lexicography. He also led a significant digital humanities cluster through the Canada Foundation for Innovation, bringing together five Canadian universities and securing $6 million in research funding.
His work across disciplinary boundaries garnered international attention. His research on vocabulary loss in Agatha Christie’s novels, suggesting possible early signs of her dementia, was identified by the New York Times as one of the top innovative ideas of 2009. His book Forgetful Muses (2010) explored the neuroscience of creativity.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Professor Lancashire served as its Director of Humanities, Academy I. At the University of Toronto, he was a beloved teacher and mentor, known for his intellectual generosity and enduring support of students, even after retirement.
We extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Professor Emerita Anne Lancashire, and to their family. Professor Ian Lancashire’s legacy as a scholar and builder of communities will be long remembered.