Sir William Foster (19 November 1863 – 11 May 1951) was a British

historiographer Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians hav ...

and civil servant who was Registrar and Superintendent of Records in the

India Office The India Office was a British government department established in London in 1858 to oversee the administration, through a Viceroy and other officials, of the Provinces of India. These territories comprised most of the modern-day nations of I ...

. He was a member of the

Hakluyt Society The Hakluyt Society is a text publication society, founded in 1846 and based in London, England, which publishes scholarly editions of primary records of historic voyages, travels and other geographical material. In addition to its publishing rol ...

and was "the foremost authority on the detailed history of early British relations with India and other countries in Asia."

Biography

Foster was born on 19 November 1863, the son of a civil servant. He was educated in the Coopers' Company's (Grammar) School for Boys and

London University 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 1882 he entered

and continued working there until 1927. He became Registrar and Superintendent of Records from 1907 to 1923 and Historiographer to the India Office from 1923 to 1927. He served the

as Secretary (1893–1902) and President (1928–1945). Foster was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the 1925 New Year Honours.

Works

A bibliography of Foster is provided by Anthony Farrington. * ''The Register of Letters and of the Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies 1600-1619'' with Sir George Birdwood (1893) * ''Letters Received By The East India Company'' (1897) * ''The Embassy of Sir Thomas Roe to India 1615-19: As Narrated in his Journal and Correspondence'' 2 vols. (ed. 1899) * ''The English Factories in India, 1618-1669 : a Calendar of Documents in the India Office, British Museum and Public Record Office'' (1911) first of thirteen volumes, eleven of which are available at
Internet Archive
* ''A Guide to the India Office Records, 1600-1858'' (1919) * ''Early Travels in India'', 1583-1619 (1921) * ''The East India House: its History and Associations'' (1924) * ''John Company'' (1926) * ''A Supplementary Calendar of Documents in the India Office Relating to India or to Home Affairs of the East India Company 1600-1640'' (1928) * ''Thomas Herbert: Travels in Persia 1627-1629'' (ed. 1928) * ''A New Account of the East Indies'' 2 vols. with Alexander Hamilton (1930) * ''England's Quest of Eastern Trade'' (1933) Also - * ''Winter, Edward'', (signed as "W. F.") in Dictionary of National Biography, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., (1885-1900) in 63 vols.

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, William 1863 births 1951 deaths Historiographers Knights Bachelor People from Southsea Civil servants in the India Office Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Alumni of the University of London British archivists