Martin Lynn

Martin Lynn (31 August 1951 – 15 April 2005) was a British and Nigerian historian and academic, specialising in African History. Having taught at the University of Ilorin, he moved to Queen's University Belfast in 1980. Here Lynn taught British and Imperial history and, later on African and Chinese history. His particular academic expertise was in the economic history of West Africa. In 2002 he was appointed Professor of African History. He was the first person to hold a professorship in African history in Ireland. The Martin Lynn Scholarship in African History, administered by the Royal Historical Society, was founded in his memory.

Selected works His publications include: Commerce and Economic Change in West Africa: The Palm Oil Trade in the Nineteenth Century (Cambridge University Press, 1997) Nigeria 1943-60 in the British Documents at the End of the Empire project (HMSO, London, 2001)

Encountering the Light: A Journey Taken (Ebor Press, York, 2007)