__NOTOC__ Reginald Walter Macan

D.Litt. Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

(1848 – 23 March 1941) was a

classical scholar Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

. He was educated at

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...

, where he gained a First in Classical Moderations in 1869 and a First in Literae Humaniores ('Greats') in 1871. He held a Fellowship at the college (1884–1906) and was appointed Master in March 1906. He was only the second

layman In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layper ...

Master of the college after

Anthony Gate Anthony Gate was an Oxford academic and administrator. He was Fellow and Master of University College, Oxford. At Oxford University, Gate took his MA degree in 1572 and his B.Med. (his highest degree, in medicine) in 1580. He was the first layma ...

, Master from 1584 to 1597. Reginald Macan was originally from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and retained his Irish accent until the 1890s. He was an undergraduate at University College, Oxford, and then a " Student" (the equivalent of 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 ...

) of Christ Church after obtaining his degree. He returned to University College as a Fellow and Tutor in 1884 until becoming Master of the college in 1906. He retired in 1923. Macan had a reputation as a heretic early in his career, but delivered addresses in the chapel at University College at least annually. Like his predecessor as Master, J. Frank Bright, he was nicknamed the "Mugger" by students. Macan applied archaeological discoveries to the study of ancient history. He produced a major set of books on

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society ...

. In 1913, Reginald Macan visited New York and spoke at the Sphinx Club about Rhodes Scholars at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. In 1881, Macan married Mildred Healey; they had three daughters, one of whom Agatha Perrin married

Eric Forbes Adam Eric Graham Forbes Adam (3 October 1888 – 7 July 1925) was a British diplomat and First Secretary to the Foreign Office. Adam was born in Malabar Hill, Bombay, India, the second son of Sir Frank Forbes Adam, 1st Baronet. His older brother ...

. He retired to

Boars Hill Boars Hill is a Hamlet (place), hamlet southwest of Oxford, straddling the boundary between the Civil parishes in England, civil parishes of Sunningwell and Wootton, Vale of White Horse, Wootton. Historically, part of Berkshire until the Local ...

, south of Oxford, and lived there till the age of 93.

Maurice Greiffenhagen Maurice Greiffenhagen (15 December 1862 – 26 December 1931

painted a formal portrait of Macan in academic dress, located at University College in Oxford.

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* 1848 births 1941 deaths 19th-century Irish people 20th-century Irish people People from County Dublin Irish classical scholars Alumni of University College, Oxford Fellows of Christ Church, Oxford Fellows of University College, Oxford Masters of University College, Oxford Classical scholars of the University of Oxford Historians of antiquity {{UOxford-stub