William Croft Dickinson facts for kids

William Croft Dickinson, CBE (born August 28, 1897 – died May 1963), was an English historian. He was a top expert on the history of Scotland from the early modern period. He also wrote books for children and ghost stories for adults.

About William Croft Dickinson

William Dickinson was born in Leicester, England. He grew up in Yorkshire and went to school in London. In the 1920s, when he started his career, he studied old court records. These were from "sheriff courts," which were like local courts back then.

In 1940, he became a special professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. This job was called the Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Palaeography. He was the first English person to hold this important position. It is the oldest and most respected Scottish history professorship in the world. Dickinson held this job longer than anyone else before or since.

During this time, Dickinson started focusing on the Scottish Reformation. This was a big change in Scotland's religion in the 1500s. He also wrote general books for students. But he kept working on big projects, like editing the writings of John Knox. Knox was a key figure in the Scottish Reformation. Dickinson also worked on old records from the medieval town of Aberdeen.

Besides his own studies, he helped make The Scottish Historical Review more famous. This magazine is now seen as the best place for new research on Scottish history. His successor, Gordon Donaldson, thought this was Dickinson's most important work for Scottish history.

Along with his academic books, Dickinson was a talented writer of fantasy stories for children. He also wrote traditional ghost stories for all ages. He published many of these books while he was a professor.

Dickinson was given the CBE award in 1963. This was just a few months before he passed away suddenly.

His Books

William Dickinson wrote different kinds of books. Some were for studying history, and others were for fun reading.

History Books

These books were about Scottish history. Some were short papers, and others were longer studies.

• The Study of Scottish History (1945)
• John Galt, "The Provost" and the Burgh (1954)
• The Scottish Reformation and Its Influence upon Scottish Life and Character (1960)
• Scotland from the Earliest Times to 1603 (1961)

Edited History Works

Dickinson also helped put together and edit old historical documents.

• The Sheriff Court Book of Fife: 1515-1522 (1928)
• The Court Book of the Barony of Carnwath, 1523-1542 (1937)
• John Knox's History of the Reformation in Scotland (1949)
• A Source Book of Scottish history (1952) (He worked on this with G. Donaldson and I. A. Milne)
• Two Students at St. Andrews, 1711-1716 (1952)
• Early Records of the Burgh of Aberdeen: 1317, 1398-1407 (1957)

Stories for Kids and Adults

These are the fantasy and ghost stories he wrote.

• Borrobil (1944)
• The Eildon Tree (1947)
• The Flag from the Isles (1951)
• The Sweet Singers, and Three Other Remarkable Occurrents (1953) (a collection of stories)
• Return at Dusk (1953)
• Can These Stones Speak (1953)
• The Eve of St. Botulph (1953)
• The Sweet Singers (1953)
• His Own Number (1963)
• The House of Balfother (1963)
• The Witch's Bone (1963)
• The Return of the Native (1963)
• Dark Encounters (1963) (a collection of stories)
• The Keepers of the Wall (1968)