Robert Elwyn Bradbury

Robert Elwyn Bradbury (1929–1969) was a British social anthropologist who conducted studies on the art, history, and culture of Benin. He worked with Peter Morton-Williams at the University College, University of London (UCL), contributing to the understanding of the Edo and Yoruba societies of southern Nigeria.

Biography
Bradbury's research initially focused on the political and ritual organisation within villages, forming the basis of his Ph.D. fieldwork from 1951 to 1952. He later studied the institutions of the Oba from 1952 to 1954, conducting ethnographic surveys of the Benin Kingdom. He was a research fellow under the Benin History and Culture Research Scheme led by Onwuka Dike at the University of Ibadan, working with historians Alan Ryder and art historian Philip Dark.

During his fieldwork, Bradbury lived with Chief Omoruyi, the Ezomo, and later in Benin City near Edo College with his family from 1957 to 1961. His wife, Rosalind, taught biology at the University of Birmingham, and their children, born in Benin City, were given Edo forenames by the Ezomo and the Oba. Bradbury lectured at UCL until 1964 before moving to the University of Birmingham to assist in the development of the Center of West African Studies. He last visited Nigeria in 1967.

Bradbury was proficient in the Edo language and experienced in both rural and urban settings. His published essays focused on the complexity of history and indigenous cultural categories, as well as societal change. Morton-Williams described Bradbury's method as a combination of anthropology and history.

Bradbury's work had an impact on Benin studies, despite the small number of his publications. His field notes at the University of Birmingham are a resource for Benin specialists. Bradbury and Morton-Williams used photographic film advancements in the '50s to document material culture.

Death and legacy
Bradbury died on 23 December 1969 at the age of 40. He was known for his expertise on the Edo-speaking communities of Nigeria and his papers on Benin's political organisation, religion, art, and history. The R. E. Bradbury Memorial Fund was established in his honour, awarding annual prizes in Nigeria and Britain for excellence in historical and social sciences.