Alexandra Barratt

Alexandra Anne Talbot Barratt (Carr) is a New Zealand academic, and is professor emerita at the University of Waikato. Barratt is a specialist in medieval manuscripts.

Academic career
Barratt completed master's at Carleton University in 1969 followed by a PhD titled Two Middle English translations of Aelred of Rievaulx's 'De Institutione Inclusaram'  at the University of Toronto in 1973, supervised by A. G. Rigg. Barratt then joined the faculty of the University of Waikato, rising to full professor in 1997. During her time at Waikato, Barratt had been Chairperson of the English department, Chairperson of Humanities, and had served on the University Council as Academic Representative. She retired in 2010, and was appointed professor emerita in 2011, in recognition of more than thirty years of service and her "outstanding contribution to the university".

Barratt studied medieval manuscripts, and has written nine books. Barratt was responsible for identifying a 13th century psalter in the Alexander Turnbull library that had been misclassified as a probably fifteenth century Book of Hours. The Flemish psalter MSR-26, dated 1275–1300, was gifted to the Diocese of Wellington by William Burgoyne Hudson, brother of entomologist George Hudson. After her retirement, Barratt has been studying the 'manuscript waste' found in manuscripts and early printed books in New Zealand. For instance, Barratt was called on by Auckland Libraries to examine parchment strips that were found in the binding of a late 15th century printed German bible in their collection. Barratt identified the strips as 1200-year old bible fragments.

Personal life
Barratt's parents were Frederick and Joan Carr. Barratt's godmother was Dame Margot Fonteyn. Barratt donated a Len Castle pot to the University in memory of her husband, scientist Robert Welch, who died in 2020.