William Douglas Simpson

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(2 August 1896 – 9 October 1968) was a Scottish academic and writer who focused on the study of medieval

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

Career

Simpson was appointed Assistant in History at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

in 1919, before becoming Lecturer in British History in 1920. He was appointed librarian at Aberdeen University in 1926, a post he held for forty years. Simpson later held the honorary positions of Rhind Lecturer in Archaeology (1941) and Dalrymple Lecturer in Archaeology (1950) at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. Although not a trained archaeologist, he directed excavations at

Kildrummy Castle Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Though ruined, it is one of the most extensive castles dating from the 13th century to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar. It is own ...

, Coull Castle, Kindrochit Castle,

Doune of Invernochty The Doune of Invernochty is a 12th-century castle in the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland, of which only earthworks survive. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) note that it is "one of the fine ...

Esslemont Castle Esslemont Castle is a ruined tower house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located on the A920 west of Ellon and is designated a scheduled ancient monument. Etymology The name ''Esslemont'' may be of Brittonic origin and originate with the t ...

Dundarg Castle Dundarg Castle is a ruined castle about north-northeast of New Aberdour, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, built within the ramparts of an earlier Iron Age promontory fort. It was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuc ...

and

Finavon Castle Finavon Castle lies on the River South Esk, about a quarter of a mile south of Milton of Finavon village and five miles to the north-east of Forfar in Angus, Scotland. The name is applied both to a ruined 17th-century castle (contemporarily re ...

. Although his archaeological findings have been superseded, his detailed studies of buildings and structures remain key documents. He wrote numerous books and articles based on this and other research, through which he became well known as an authority on the castellated architecture of Scotland and

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

. He held several appointments in relation to this work, including chairman of the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland and membership of the

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) was an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government that was "sponsored" inanced and with oversightthrough Historic Scotland, an executive ...

. He was a member of the

Scottish National Portrait Gallery The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. The gallery holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Co ...

Advisory Board and Scottish Records Advisory Council. W. Douglas Simpson was the author of a wide range of publications on architectural matters, from academic papers to general guides aimed at the tourist. Several of his guidebooks remain in print by

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. ...

. His lectures and talks were hugely successful and well attended not just by students but a more general audience. He was a Commissioner at the

RCAHMS The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) was an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government that was "sponsored" inanced and with oversightthrough Historic Scotland, an executive ...

Personal life

Simpson was born in Aberdeen, one of four children of H.F. Morland Simpson (1859-1920), an antiquarian and Rector of

Aberdeen Grammar School Aberdeen Grammar School is a state secondary school in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of thirteen secondary schools run by the Aberdeen City Council educational department. It is the oldest school in the city and one of the oldest grammar school ...

and his German wife, Jenny Friderike Dohm (ca. 1866-1949). He joined the 4th

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

in 1913, but was discharged on medical grounds in 1914. He carried out work for the Admiralty in Scotland from 1915 to 1918. He graduated from the University of Aberdeen with a first class honours MA in 1919, and a D.Litt. in 1924. Simpson was appointed OBE in 1954 and CBE in 1962. He was appointed Commander of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

. He is buried in Springbank Cemetery, Countesswells Road, Aberdeen; his wife, Ellen Dorothy Simpson (née Mason), whom he married in 1935, died in 1984 and was buried with him in the same grave.

Selected publications

*''The historical Saint Columba'' (1927) *''Castles from the air'' (1949) *''Dundarg Castle'' (1954) *''Dunstaffnage Castle and the Stone of Destiny'' (1958) * * *''The ancient stones of Scotland'' (1965) *''The Highlands of Scotland'' (1976)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, W. Douglas 1896 births 1968 deaths People from Aberdeen Scottish scholars and academics Scottish architecture writers Scottish archaeologists Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Academics of the University of Aberdeen Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Architecture academics Scottish people of German descent Castellologists