[7] A characteristic feature of his scholarship was a concern with examining the original manuscripts of medieval texts, which led to visits to a wide range of libraries and archives in continental Europe.

[12][13] In 1994, "despite his record of committed and successful teaching and his internationally recognised distinction in research",[14] Goldsmiths made him redundant on "thematic grounds", a move which gave rise to protests from colleagues in the UK and overseas.

[1] Relocating to Abingdon in 1995, he became a lecturer in German at St Peter's College, Oxford, and Senior Research Fellow of the university's Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages.

His interests and expertise went beyond the medieval: at Oxford he also taught German Cinema,[15] and he contributed the article on Theodor Fontane to the Dictionary of National Biography.

Professor Nigel Palmer wrote, "Cyril was a remarkable figure, a lovable eccentric, a fine scholar with a wide range of cultural interests who had a difficult career.