Edwin Ernest (E. E.) Rich was born in England in 1907. He was educated at Colston’s School and at Selwyn College, Cambridge and then became a fellow of St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. He later was a fellow of Trumbull College, Yale University, and an honorary fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge University, and atWorcester College, Oxford University. In 1951, he became the Vere Harmsworth Professor of Naval and Imperial History at Cambridge University in 1951.
From 1937 to 1960, Rich was hired as the first editor of the Hudson’s Bay Record Society’s publications and also managed the company's archives department. He also authored books including Staple Courts of Bristol published in 1931, Ordinances of the Merchants of Staple published in 1935 and The Hudson’s Bay Company 1670-1870 published in 1959.
Rich gave a series of three Beatty Lectures in March 1964 on the theme, "Montreal and the Fur Trade" including "The French Background", "The American Frontier" and "The Northwest Company". A book length collection of all three lectures titled Montreal and the Fur Trade was published in 1964 by McGill University Press and is available at the McGill Library here.
Listen to E. E. Rich's first Beatty Lecture:
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
Listen to E. E. Rich's second Beatty Lecture:
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Listen to E. E. Rich's third Beatty Lecture:
Audio: McGill University Archives
Image: St. Catherine's College Archives, Cambridge
