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