Sir Arthur Allen Waugh, (18911968) was a British civil servant in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and folklorist.

Early years and education

Waugh was born on 25 July 1891 and educated at

George Watson’s College George Watson's College is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871, and was merge ...

and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

Career

Waugh joined the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million ...

in 1914 (via examination) and was gazetted to the

United Provinces of British India The United Provinces of British India, more commonly known as the United Provinces, was a province of British India, which came into existence on 3 January 1921 as a result of the renaming of the ''United Provinces of Agra and Oudh''. It corre ...

. He was promoted to Revenue Secretary in 1934 and was made Settlement Commissioner in 1939. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he played an important role in overseeing the productive capacity of the United Provinces. In 1943, Waugh was called to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

to be made secretary of the Central War Supply Department. In 1945, Waugh was appointed to the Executive Council of the Governor-General. He was made Companion of the

Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

(CIE) in 1937, Companion of the

Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

(CSI) in 1943, and Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) in 1945. He retired from the Indian Civil Service in 1946 and later held roles with the British Council and Salaries Commission in Ghana.

Folklorist

Following his retirement, Waugh increasingly spent his time researching legendary monsters, particularly sea creatures. He joined the

Folklore Society The Folklore Society (FLS) is a national association in the United Kingdom for the study of folklore. It was founded in London in 1878 to study traditional vernacular culture, including traditional music, song, dance and drama, narrative, arts an ...

, quickly becoming a member of its Council and serving as its President from 1959 to 1961. His Presidential lectures were on the topics of the folklore of

merfolk Merfolk or merpeople are legendary water-dwelling human-like beings. They are attested in folklore and mythology throughout the ages in various parts of the world. Female merfolk may be referred to as mermaids, although in a strict sense mermaid ...

and whales, and in 1961 he co-authored ''Sea Enchantress: The Tale of the Mermaid and her Kin''.

Selected works

* Waugh, Arthur (1960) "The Folklore of the Merfolk", ''Folklore'', 71:2, 73-84 * Waugh, Arthur (1961) "The Folklore of the Whale", ''Folklore'', 72:2, 361-371 * Benwell, Gwen & Waugh, Arthur (1961), ''Sea Enchantress: The Tale of the Mermaid and her Kin.'' New York: Citadel Press.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waugh, Arthur 1891 births 1968 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Order of the Star of India Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Presidents of the Folklore Society