Bruce Dickins facts for kids

Bruce Dickins (born October 26, 1889 – died January 4, 1978) was a very important scholar who studied the English language and its history. He was a Fellow of the British Academy, which is a special honor given to top experts in the humanities and social sciences.

Bruce Dickins went to Magdalene College, Cambridge for his studies. Later, he became a Professor of English Language at the University of Leeds from 1931 to 1946. There, he taught about medieval English (English from the Middle Ages) and Old Norse, which is an old language from Scandinavia. He was also part of the Yorkshire Society for Celtic Studies, a group that studied Celtic languages and cultures. He was even their president for a time and helped edit their magazine, Yorkshire Celtic Studies.

In 1946, Bruce Dickins moved to the University of Cambridge to become the Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon. This was a very important job, focusing on Anglo-Saxon studies, which is about the early history and language of England. He stayed in this role until 1957, after which he became an Emeritus Professor, meaning he was retired but still held the title. He also became a Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, he continued to support the study of Celtic languages. For example, he helped create a teaching position for another scholar, Nora Chadwick, in 1950. He also strongly argued for a new professor position for Celtic studies, wanting Cambridge to be as good as Oxford in this area. However, this idea didn't happen because some people strongly disagreed.

In November 1947, there was a big discussion at Cambridge University about whether women should be allowed to become full members of the university. At that time, women could study and get degrees, but they didn't have the same rights as men within the university. A group suggested that women should have equal rights. During the debate, Bruce Dickins was the only person who spoke against this idea. He believed that women didn't really need these changes and that the university wouldn't benefit from it. He thought Cambridge should stay an all-male institution, like Harvard and Yale were at the time. However, his views did not get much support, and the discussion moved on.

When Bruce Dickins turned 70, a special book called a Festschrift was published in his honor. This book usually contains essays written by his friends and colleagues, celebrating his work and contributions.