William Croft Dickinson
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William Croft Dickinson, CBE (28 August 1897 – May 1963) was a leading expert in the history of early modern Scotland and a writer of both children's fiction and adult
ghost stories A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature''. ...
. Dickinson held the Chair of Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Palaeography at 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 1 ...
from 1943 to 1963.


Early life

Dickinson was born in
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...
. He was raised in
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
and educated at
Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History A committee of Nonconformis ...
in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. He attended the
University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...
before in 1916 volunteering for the
Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regime ...
. In Oct 1916 he was commissioned to the 45 Company
Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a Regiment, corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in the World War I, First World War. Th ...
and awarded a
Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...
for 'conspicuous gallantry' in action near Ypres on 31 July 1917. He returned to St Andrews in 1919, graduating with a First Class Degree in History in 1921.


Academic career

In the earlier years of his academic career Dickinson was influenced by his St Andrews's supervisor, J. D. Mackie. Dickinson's published scholarship focused on editing the court books of early modern sheriff courts (on which his PhD research was based). In 1923, at the invitation of
William Beveridge William Henry Beveridge, 1st Baron Beveridge, (5 March 1879 – 16 March 1963) was a British economist and Liberal politician who was a progressive and social reformer who played a central role in designing the British welfare state. His 1942 ...
, Dickinson moved to the London School of Economics (LSE) to take up the post of assistant secretary. His career in university administration saw him appointed in 1933 to the position of joint - and then two years later sole - librarian of the British Library of Political and Economical Sciences at the LSE. During the 1930s, Dickinson continued to publish on the records of Scotland and in 1943 he was appointed Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Palaeography at 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 1 ...
, the oldest and most distinguished Scottish history professorship in the world. Dickinson - the first English-born occupant of the Chair - held the post longer than anyone before or since. In this phase of his career, the focus of Dickinson's work shifted in the direction of the
Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process by which Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke with the Pope, Papacy and developed a predominantly Calvinist national Church of Scotland, Kirk (church), which was strongly Presbyterianism, Presbyterian in ...
and general works for students, but he continued to pursue major editorial projects, including the writings of
John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgat ...
and the records of the
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Bur ...
of
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...
. In addition to his personal scholarship, Dickinson was a long-standing member of the committee which oversaw the running of
Edinburgh University Press Edinburgh University Press is a scholarly publisher of academic books and journals, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. History Edinburgh University Press was founded in the 1940s and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Edinburgh ...
and worked to build up and raise the profile of ''The Scottish Historical Review'', widely regarded today as the world's leading periodical for current research on Scottish history. His successor in the Fraser Chair,
Gordon Donaldson Gordon Donaldson, (13 April 1913 – 16 March 1993) was a Scottish historian. Life He was born in a tenement at 140 McDonald RoadEdinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory, 1912 off Leith Walk in northern Edinburgh on 13 April 1913 the so ...
, considered Dickinson's efforts with the ''Scottish Historical Review,'' to be his most important contribution to Scottish history. Dickinson was also a key member of the Scottish Records Advisory Council from 1944 onwards. The Council has been hailed for its important role in helping to pave the way for the Public Registers and Records (Scotland) Act of 1948, which created an independent Scottish Records Office.


Children's fiction and ghost stories

Alongside his academic writings, Dickinson was an accomplished author of children's fantasy stories as well as traditional ghost stories for readers of all ages, publishing a number of books during his time in the Fraser Chair. In 2017, Dickinson's collection ''Dark Encounters: A Collection of Ghost Stories'' was republished by Birlinn Books.


Honours

Dickinson was conferred with a honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of St Andrews in 1952. He was made a CBE in the 1963 New Year honours list, just months before his sudden death.


Works


Monographs

* ''The Study of Scottish History'' (1945) (short paper) * ''John Galt, "The Provost" and the Burgh'' (1954) (short paper) * ''The Scottish Reformation and Its Influence upon Scottish Life and Character'' (1960) (short paper) * ''Scotland from the Earliest Times to 1603'' (1961; 2nd edn 1965; 3rd edn 1977)


Edited works

* ''The Sheriff Court Book of Fife: 1515-1522'' (1928) * ''The Court Book of the Barony of Carnwath, 1523-1542'' (1937) * ''John Knox's History of the Reformation in Scotland'' (1949) * ''A Source Book of Scottish history'' (1952; 2nd edn 1958) (co-editor with G. Donaldson and I. A. Milne) * ''Two Students at St. Andrews, 1711-1716'' (1952) (short paper) * ''Early Records of the Burgh of Aberdeen: 1317, 1398-1407'' (1957)


Children's and general fiction

* ''Borrobil'' (1944) * ''The Eildon Tree'' (1947) * ''The Flag from the Isles'' (1951) * ''The Sweet Singers, and Three Other Remarkable Occurrents'' (1953) (collection) * ''Return at Dusk'' (1953) * ''Can These Stones Speak'' (1953) * ''The Eve of St. Botulph'' (1953) * ''The Sweet Singers'' (1953) * ''His Own Number'' (1963) * ''The House of Balfother'' (1963) * ''The Witch's Bone'' (1963) * ''The Return of the Native'' (1963) * ''Dark Encounters'' (1963) (collection) * ''The Keepers of the Wall'' (1968)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickinson, William Croft 1897 births 1963 deaths Writers from Leicester Ghost story writers English children's writers People educated at Mill Hill School Academics of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century English historians