Mackenzie 1927 Figure 9 Stone from Cromarty Castle Page009

William Mackay Mackenzie (1871–1952) was a Scottish historian, archaeologist and writer, who was Secretary of the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland between 1913 and 1935, and also an expert on folk-lore. He was born in

Cromarty Cromarty (; gd, Cromba, ) is a town, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. Situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, it is seaward from In ...

, graduated with an MA from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

and taught at

Glasgow Academy The Glasgow Academy is a coeducational independent day school for pupils aged 3–18 in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2016, it had the third-best Higher level exam results in Scotland. Founded in 1845, it is the oldest continuously fully independent ...

between 1896 and 1912. He also had a

DLitt 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 ...

. In 1925-1926 he was Rhind lecturer in archaeology at the

and during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

acted as head of the department of Ancient Scottish History. In 1942 he was appointed to be a member of the Commission where he had formerly been Secretary. He was a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

(FSA) and was made an honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

in 1949 at Edinburgh. As well as writing on medieval history, he published a major edition of

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ecc ...

's poems. His younger brother,

Donald Alexander Mackenzie Donald Alexander Mackenzie (24 July 1873 – 2 March 1936) was a Scottish journalist and folklorist and a prolific writer on religion, mythology and anthropology in the early 20th century. Life and career Mackenzie was born in Cromarty, so ...

, was also a prolific writer on religion, mythology and anthropology.

Public Recognition

A portrait of Mackenzie by

David Foggie David Foggie Royal Scottish Academy, RSA (31 December 1878 Dundee – 2 June 1948), was a Scottish painter, born to parents James and Margaret Foggie. By the time of his death, David Foggie was a known name across Scotland. Since that time he ...

, painted in 1914, is held by the

National Gallery of Scotland The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by Wi ...

but is rarely displayed.

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *

References

*''The Scotsman'': 18 April 1935, 6 March 1943, 9 July 1949

External links

* 1871 births 1952 deaths 20th-century Scottish historians Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of Edinburgh People associated with the University of Edinburgh School of History, Classics and Archaeology Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London {{Scotland-academic-bio-stub