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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 layperson ...
Master of the college after
Anthony Gate, 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 cen ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, and retained his Irish accent until the 1890s. He was an undergraduate at University College, Oxford, and then a "
Student
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution.
In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...
" (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 from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known for ha ...
.
In 1913, Reginald Macan visited
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
and spoke at the
Sphinx Club about
Rhodes Scholar
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
s 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 the Un ...
.
In 1881, Macan married Mildred Healey;
they had three daughters, one of whom Agatha Perrin married
Eric Forbes Adam.
He retired to
Boars Hill
Boars Hill is a hamlet southwest of Oxford, straddling the boundary between the civil parishes of Sunningwell and Wootton. Historically, part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.
History
The earliest kn ...
, 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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