Edmund Crosby Quiggin (23 August 1875 – 4 January 1920) was a British

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

and scholar. Born in Cheadle, Staffordshire, he was educated at Kingswood School in Bath. In 1893 he matriculated at Gonville and Caius College,

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, to read Modern and Medieval Languages. He graduated with first-class honours. The fellows of Caius included the lawyer and legal historian

Charles Henry Monro Charles Henry Monro (1835–1908) was an English author, jurist and benefactor. Life He was born in London, 17 March 1835, the second of three sons of Cecil Monro (1803–78) of Hadley, chief registrar of the Court of Chancery, son of John Monro ...

, who spoke Irish and encouraged Quiggin to study in this area. In October 1898, Quiggin was appointed English Lector at the University of Greifswald, where he completed his doctorate, ''Die lautliche Geltung der vortonigen Wörter und Silben in der Book of Leinster Version der Tain bo Cualnge'' ('The phonetic quality of pre-stress words and syllables in the Book of Leinster version of the '' Táin Bó Cúailnge'' '). In 1901, Quiggin returned to Cambridge and between June 1903 and January 1906 went on to undertake fieldwork on Ulster Irish in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

, resulting in the book '' A Dialect of Donegal''. In 1907, Quiggin married the anthropologist

Alison Hingston Quiggin Alison Hingston Quiggin (1874—1971) was a British anthropologist at the University of Cambridge and the author of the much reprinted ''A Survey of Primitive Money: The Beginnings of Currency'' (London, 1949). Education and career Hingston studi ...

, author of ''A Survey of Primitive Money'' and other works. In 1909 Caius College used a bequest of

to create the Monro Lectureship in Celtic for Quiggin. This lectureship was the first of its kind and one of the forces which fed into the creation of the

Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic The Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic (ASNC or, informally, ASNaC) is one of the constituent departments of the University of Cambridge, and focuses on the history, material culture, languages and literatures of the various peoples who i ...

. (The department has, since 1993, commemorated Quiggin through the Quiggin Memorial Lecture, in which series the fullest biography of Quiggin so far has been published.) Quiggin's next publication was his ''Prolegomena to the Study of the Later Irish Bards, 1200–1500''.E. C. Quiggin, ''Prolegomena to the study of the later Irish bards, 1200–1500'' (London: Oxford University Press for the British Academy, 1911). However, with the outbreak of the First World War, Quiggin found himself in war service from 1915 to 1919, first in Boulogne and then in the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

's Intelligence Division. In 1919 he returned to work and study at Cambridge, but died from ill health on 4 January 1920 in Warlingham.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quiggin, Edmund Crosby Linguists from England University of Greifswald faculty Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge 1875 births 1920 deaths Celtic studies scholars People from Cheadle, Staffordshire