Memorial to Arthur Lionel Smith, St Aidan's Church, Bamburgh

Arthur Lionel Smith (1850 – 12 April 1924) was a British

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. Smith served as

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

, from 1916 to 1924.

Early life

Smith was born on 4 December 1850. He studied at

, from 1869 to 1874 and won the Lothian Prize Essay competition.

Career

Smith became a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

in 1882,

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

in 1907, and was

1916–1924. In October 1907 Smith paid a visit to

Ruskin College Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is an independent educational institution in Oxford, England. It is not a college of Oxford University. It is named after the essayist, art and social critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) an ...

on behalf of a group of some of his university colleagues. He broached the idea of bringing Ruskin closer to the University, suggesting that this would involve the University providing funds for the College, and allowing Ruskin College students to join the University. Although this was warmly received by a couple of students, the bulk asked him what the University wanted in return. When he was unable to give a clear reply, the bulk of the students – drawing on their experience as trade union negotiators – became suspicious that the proposal would lead to the erosion of the college's independence. These concerns were vindicated when following a visit from

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...

where the proposal was repeated and

Dennis Hird James Dennis Hird (28 January 1850 - 13 July 1920) was a British clergyman, educator and author. Hird was born in Ashby, Lincolnshire (now part of Scunthorpe) to Robert and Fanny Dennis Hird née Kendall.John Beatson-Hird, ''Dennis Hird: Socialis ...

, a lecturer in

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

and

Logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...

responded informing Curzon that as far as the students were concerned Ruskin College was irrevocably part of the

Labour movement The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...

, which they envisaged making great changes in society presently. It subsequently transpired that certain members of the Ruskin College had been planning to sack Hird and to alter the curriculum by replacing Sociology and Logic with literature and temperance. Smith was important in developing

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

teaching. He was a close friend of the pomologist Ronald Hatton.

Personal life

In 1879, Smith married Mary Smith, with whom he had nine children. They first lived at 7

Crick Road Crick Road is a road in North Oxford, England, an area characterised by large Victorian Gothic villas. Location At the western end is the Bradmore Road and at the eastern end is Fyfield Road. To the north is Norham Road and to the south are ...

North Oxford North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the College. Overview The le ...

until 1893. Their daughter Miriam married the diplomat Sir

Reader Bullard Sir Reader William Bullard (5 December 1885 – 24 May 1976) was a British diplomat and author. Education Reader Bullard was born in Walthamstow, the son of Charles, a dock labourer, and Mary Bullard. He was educated at the Monoux School th ...

. Smith's daughter Rosalind married Oxford historian

Edward Murray Wrong Edward Murray Wrong (14 April 1889 – 15 February 1928) was a Canadian-born historian, vice-president of Magdalen College, Oxford (1924–25). Biography Known as Murray, he was the son of Canadian historian George MacKinnon Wrong, and of Sophi ...

. His youngest daughter Barbara married Sir Hugh Cairns the first Nuffield Professor of Surgery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Arthur Lionel 1850 births 1924 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford Masters of Balliol College, Oxford British historians