Glynn MaySheffield historian and lorewright

Glynn worked for 25 years in NHS Management, from 1999 to 2025, at all six NHS hospitals in Sheffield, United Kingdom, ten of those years at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. For the last eight years he led the Logistics team at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust. His remit meant working closely with senior medical staff and across the hospital hierarchy, which gave him a clear view of how hospitals are run from the inside.

One of his roles was selling surplus medical assets at auction for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. Lots ranged from a single pair of forceps to a gamma camera, so he had to identify, describe and value every item accurately. That work gave him a detailed, hands-on knowledge of medical instruments and equipment, old and new. Together with his years alongside clinicians and hospital leadership, it gave him the grounded understanding his books needed: he could write about the tools, wards, people and practice of medicine from first-hand experience.

Since retiring he has turned to the history of the city's medical heritage. His first book, The Sheffield Royal Hospital: A History of a City's Quest for Healthcare, is published by 1889 Books on 11 November 2026. He is now writing Body Snatching in Sheffield, the story of the town's resurrection men.

He describes himself as a lorewright: someone who gathers the history of a place from its records and memories and sets it down so that it is passed on.

• The Sheffield Royal Hospital: A History of a City's Quest for Healthcare (1889 Books, 2026). ISBN 978-1-915045-61-4.
• Body Snatching in Sheffield (in preparation).

Glynn has been invited to give a talk to the Aesculapian Society. Local history groups, societies and libraries who would like a talk on the Sheffield Royal Hospital or on body snatching in Sheffield are welcome to get in touch.

Email glynnmay-author@pm.me.