William Matheson (Gaelic: Uilleam MacMhathain, 25 August 1910 - 30 November 1995) was a Scottish Gaelic scholar, academic, and ordained minister of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

Early life

William Matheson was born on 25 August 1910 in Malaclete,

North Uist North Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Tuath; sco, North Uise) is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Etymology In Donald Munro's ''A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides'' of 1549, North Uist, Benbecula and ...

in the Outer Hebrides, the son of Malcolm Matheson, a missionary in the United Free Church and Mary Murray from Lewis, and was brought up in

Sollas Sollas ( gd, Solas) is a small crofting township on the northern coast of the island of North Uist, Scotland. History The Battle of Sollas From Sollas, the road that heads towards Bayhead is known as the ''Committee Road''. It is called this ...

there. His brother was Angus Matheson (1912-1962), who became the inaugural Professor of Celtic 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 , ...

until his early death. William was educated at

Boroughmuir High School Boroughmuir High School is a non-denominational secondary school in Edinburgh, Scotland. Buildings It was founded in 1904, and located at 22–24 Warrender Park Crescent, overlooking Bruntsfield Links, in a building designed by John Alexan ...

in Edinburgh and transferred to Inverness Royal Academy in 1926, followed by

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 ...

from 1929 to 1933, where he took a degree in history.

Career

Matheson worked with Professor W J Watson on the Campbell of Islay manuscripts of Gaelic folktales, and started work on his "magnificent" edition of the poems of John MacCodrum. Matheson studied at New College, and in 1943 became an ordained minister of the

, after which he served as Tobermory's minister from 1945 to 1952. The University of Edinburgh's Professor of Celtic,

Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson Prof Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson CBE FRSE FSA DLitt (1 November 1909 – 20 February 1991) was an English linguist and a translator who specialised in the Celtic languages. He demonstrated how the text of the Ulster Cycle of tales, written ''circ ...

asked him to return to his alma mater to run the teaching of Scottish Gaelic there, and he rose in 1972 to Reader in Celtic.

Later life

Matheson suffered from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

in his later years, and died in Edinburgh on 30 November 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matheson, William 1910 births 1995 deaths People educated at Boroughmuir High School Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of Edinburgh People from Uist 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland People educated at Inverness Royal Academy