Anne Purvis
Scottish middle-distance runner
Anne Rosemary Purvis (née Clarkson; born 5 March 1959) is a Scottish former athlete who specialised in the 800 metres. She won a silver medal in the 800 metres at the 1982 Commonwealth Games and finished fourth in the 800m final at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. She also won the AAAs Championship title in 1980 and 1981, and the UK Championships title in 1982 and 1986.
Biography
Clarkson, became the British 800 metres champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1980 WAAA Championships in a time of 2:01.89. The following year she retained her title at the 1981 WAAA Championships in a time of 2:03.92.
In 1982, she won the UK Championship title in 2:03.6 in May. Two months later, she ran her lifetime best for the 800m with 2:00.20 on 7 July 1982 in Oslo. This narrowly missed the then Scottish record of 2:00.15 by Rosemary Stirling from 1972. Later that year, she won a silver medal in the 800m at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, behind another Scots-born athlete, Kirsty McDermott, who was representing Wales. She also won a bronze medal in the 4x400m relay with teammates Linsey MacDonald, Angela Bridgeman and Sandra Whittaker.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Anne Purvis” as scottish middle-distance runner. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as scottish middle-distance runner. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q27929571. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1959, 1982, 1986 and 1980.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Anne Purvis”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Anne Purvis primary sources, Anne Purvis archive and Anne research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Anne Purvis”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Anne Purvis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.