William Ferguson (19 February 1924 – 8 January 2021) was a Scottish academic and author who specialised in the history of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. He studied history at Glasgow and Oxford, and spent most of his academic career 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 15 ...

. He retired from teaching in 1989, but continued his research and his writing, publishing ''The Identity of the Scottish Nation: An Historic Quest'' in 1998. He died on 8 January 2021, aged 96.

Early life and education

Ferguson was born in

Muirkirk Muirkirk ( gd, Eaglais an t-Slèibh) is a small village in East Ayrshire, southwest Scotland. It is located on the north bank of the River Ayr, between Cumnock and Glenbuck on the A70. Conservation The Muirkirk & North Lowther Uplands Specia ...

in on 19 February 1924. His father worked on the railway line between Muirkirk and

Lanark Lanark (; gd, Lannraig ; sco, Lanrik) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a population of 9 ...

, and in the 1930s gained a promotion that caused him to move to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. Ferguson had intended to study medicine, and in 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 opposi ...

was called up to work as a naval medic; after the war however, he decided to study history. He completed his first undergraduate degree 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 , ...

, and in 1950 he went enrolled at Balliol College, Oxford where he spent two years, before returning to Glasgow to complete his PhD.

Career

After completing his doctorate, Ferguson worked as an assistant lecturer at Glasgow before moving to Edinburgh in 1954. He was promoted to lecturer, then senior lecturer, and ultimately was awarded a

readership Readership may refer to: * The group of readers of a particular publication or writer: their target audience * The total number of readers of a particular publication (newspaper, magazine, book), as proxy-measured by web/app views or print circulat ...

in the 1970s. He retired from the University of Edinburgh in 1989, but continued to write, research, and review the work of other scholars.

Works

Ferguson's first book, ''Scotland: 1689 to the Present'', published in 1968, was an analysis of Scotland's history following the union with England in 1707. In 1977 he published ''Relations with England: A Survey to 1707'', which explored Scotland's relationship with England prior to the union. His 1998 book ''The Identity of the Scottish Nation: An Historic Quest'' was awarded Saltire Society's award for Scottish history, although it was criticised by Roger Mason for what he perceived as the book's failure to engage with other scholars' contributions on the subject of Scottish identity.

References

Sources

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Early life and education

Career

Works

References

Sources

Further reading