John Duncan Mackie

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 ...

MC (1887–1978) was a distinguished Scottish historian who wrote a one-volume history of Scotland and several works on

early modern Scotland Scotland in the early modern period refers, for the purposes of this article, to Scotland between the death of James IV in 1513 and the end of the Jacobite risings in the mid-eighteenth century. It roughly corresponds to the early modern perio ...

Biography

Born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, Mackie was educated at Middlesbrough High School and

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship S ...

, where he took a first-class degree in history and won the Lothian Essay Prize. He was appointed as a lecturer in history at 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 ...

in 1909, aged 22. While at the university he introduced the subject of Scottish history into the curriculum.''A History of Scotland'', revised ed., Penguin, 1977 During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and was 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 ...

. He was wounded in both the stomach and in the shoulder. In both cases he received innovative treatment. For the stomach wound (caused by a machine-gun) he was treated at a

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...

in Rouen. Sterilised water was dripped right through his stomach and he recovered well. The shoulder wound was received in the last days of the war. He nearly had to have his arm amputated but he opted for a new treatment in which the nerve was knotted. However, he never regained full use of his left hand and suffered considerable pain for the remainder of his life. He returned to St Andrews after the war, before being appointed professor of modern history at Bedford College,

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, in 1926. He was Professor of Scottish History and Literature 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 , ...

from 1930 to 1957. It was during these years that he wrote ''The Earlier Tudors 1485-1558'' (Oxford University Press). An influential volume, ''The Earlier Tudors'' was a new analysis of Tudor administration – the business of government. In 1957 he retired, and was appointed

Historiographer Royal Historiographer Royal is the title of an appointment as official chronicler or historian of a court or monarch. It was initially particularly associated with the French monarchy, where the post existed from at least 1550, but in the later 16th and 1 ...

for Scotland. Mackie returned to the University of Glasgow lecture hall in 1961 in the capacity of emeritus professor. He died in Haslemere in 1978 and was buried at Grayswood church. His medals are in the regimental museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at Stirling Castle. The Letters Patent appointing him Historiographer Royal were sent to the

Hunterian Museum The Hunterian is a complex of museums located in and operated by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest museum in Scotland. It covers the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology M ...

at the University of Glasgow

Bibliography

*''Pope Adrian IV, Oxford'', 1907 (Blackwells) *''Negotiations Between James VI and I and Ferdinand I of Tuscany'', 1927 *''Cavalier and Puritan'', 1930 *''Andrew Lang and the House of Stuart'', 1935 *''The Complete Scotland: A Comprehensive Survey, Based on the Principal Motor, Walking, Railway and Steamer Routes'', 1949 *''The Earlier Tudors, 1485–1558'', 1952 *''The University of Glasgow, 1451–1951: A Short History'', 1954 *''A History of the Scottish Reformation'', 1960 *''A History of Scotland'', 1964

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackie, J.D 20th-century Scottish historians 1887 births 1978 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Academics of the University of St Andrews Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London Academics of the University of Glasgow British Army personnel of World War I Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders officers Recipients of the Military Cross Writers from Edinburgh Historians of Scotland Academics from Edinburgh