Sir Charles Grant Robertson (1869 – 29 February 1948) was a British academic historian. He was a Fellow of

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of ...

, and

Vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

Biography

Grant Robertson was born in 1869 and educated at

Highgate School Highgate School, formally Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is an English co-educational, fee-charging, independent day school, founded in 1565 in Highgate, London, England. It educates over 1,400 pupils in three sections – Highgat ...

and

Hertford College, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The col ...

. He was elected a fellow of

in 1893. At Oxford he became a distinguished and influential historian. He was one-time tutor to Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, and had many academic publications to his name. He also published a light work called ''"Voces academicae, short scenes of student life in Oxford"'' in 1898 and produced a series of romantic novels under the pseudonym Wymond Carey between 1902 and 1907. In 1920 Grant Robertson became Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham University. He is credited with doing much to raise the profile of the young university, with strong support for the new medical school, the library and the Barber Institute and one of his first tasks was to set up a Joint Standing Committee on Research With regard to the library, he declared "A library is not a luxury, nor an ornamental appendage,but an absolute necessity…". The Charles Grant Robertson Scholarship at Birmingham University is awarded for research in the Department of English, and is open only to existing students of the university. Grant Robertson was Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom (CVCP), later

Universities UK Universities UK (UUK) is an advocacy organisation for universities in the United Kingdom. It began life in the early 20th century through informal meetings of vice-chancellors of a number of universities and principals of university colleges and ...

from 1929 to 1935. He was president of the

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

Society at

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west o ...

from 1939 to 1944 In spite of his racy early writings, Grant Robertson was a rather aloof and prudish bachelor. He was particularly recalled as wordy, one commentator observing that he "never used a single word to express himself, if a paragraph could more gracefully define his meaning". Staff and students recalled incidents such as when his opening speech at a charity function was so long it dramatically reduced the takings, or when students we invited to tea but never had the chance to eat it. Harry Hodson recalled he was "a teacher by nature, and would lecture copiously among his contemporaries and juniors, little heeding if their attention wandered, raising the question, 'Can an interesting man be a bore?' But he was well worth listening to, for his mind was sharp, his opinions vigorous and his knowledge vast."

Publications

Academic works

* ''England under the Hanoverians'' (1911).online
*''Bismarck'' 1918 *''An historical atlas of modern Europe from 1789 to 1922 with an historical and explanatory text'' 1924 *''Religion and The Totalitarian State. The Social Service Lecture'' 1937 *''Centenary Of Charter Of Incorporation. A Short History Of Birmingham From Its Origin to the Present Day'' 1938 with Conrad *''The British Universities'' 1944 *''Chatham and the British Empire'' 194
online
*''Evolution of Prussia'' 1946 with Sir J. A. R. Marriott *''Bolingbroke'' 1947 *''Select Statutes Cases and Documents to Illustrate English Constitutional History, 1660 – 1832'' 1949

As Wymond Carey

*''Monsieur Martin'' *''For the white rose'' *''No 101 and Love'' *''The Judge''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Charles Grant 1869 births 1948 deaths People educated at Highgate School Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Academics of the University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellors of the University of Birmingham