Arthur Lionel Smith (1850 – 12 April 1924) was a British

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. Smith served as

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

, from 1916 to 1924.

Early life

Smith was born in on 4 December 1850, the second son of the civil engineer William Henry Smith and his wife Alice Elizabeth Strutt, daughter of Jacob Strutt and his wife Elizabeth Byron. His widowed mother placed Arthur in

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter, located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. T ...

at age six, before leaving the country. He was a student at

from 1869 to 1874. On graduating, Smith became a Fellow of

Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...

. In 1876, he entered

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

. He was married in 1879.

Career

Smith left Trinity, and began to teach at Balliol, in 1879. He became a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

there in 1882. He was

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

in 1907, and was

1916–1924. In October 1907 Smith paid a visit to

Ruskin College Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is a higher education institution and part of the University of West London, in Oxford, England. It is not a Colleges of the University of Oxford, college of Oxford University. Named ...

on behalf of a group of some of his university colleagues. He broached the idea of bringing Ruskin closer to the University, suggesting that this would involve the University providing funds for the College, and allowing Ruskin College students to join the University. Although this was warmly received by a couple of students, the bulk asked him what the University wanted in return. When he was unable to give a clear reply, the bulk of the students – drawing on their experience as trade union negotiators – became suspicious that the proposal would lead to the erosion of the college's independence. These concerns were vindicated when following a visit from

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), known as Lord Curzon (), was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, explorer and writer who served as Viceroy of India ...

where the proposal was repeated and Dennis Hird, a lecturer in

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

and

Logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

responded informing Curzon that as far as the students were concerned Ruskin College was irrevocably part of the

Labour movement The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considere ...

, which they envisaged making great changes in society presently. It subsequently transpired that certain members of the Ruskin College had been planning to sack Hird and to alter the curriculum by replacing Sociology and Logic with literature and temperance. Smith was important in developing

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

teaching. He was a close friend of the pomologist

Ronald Hatton Sir Ronald George Hatton, (6 July 1886 – 11 November 1965) was a British horticulturalist and pomologist. Life Hatton was born in Kilburn, London.''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915'' His father Ernest Hatton w ...

Personal life

In 1879, Smith married Mary Smith, with whom he had nine children. They first lived at 7

Crick Road Crick Road is a road in North Oxford, England, an area characterised by large Victorian Gothic villas. Location At the western end is the Bradmore Road and at the eastern end is Fyfield Road. To the north is Norham Road and to the south are ...

North Oxford North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian architecture, Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the co ...

until 1893. Their daughter Miriam married the diplomat Sir

Reader Bullard Sir Reader William Bullard (5 December 1885 – 24 May 1976) was a British diplomat and author. Education Reader Bullard was born in Walthamstow, the son of Charles, a dock labourer, and Mary Bullard. He was educated at the Monoux School th ...

. Smith's daughter Rosalind married Oxford historian

Edward Murray Wrong Edward Murray Wrong (14 April 1889 – 15 February 1928) was a Canadian-born historian, vice-president of Magdalen College, Oxford (1924–25). Biography Known as Murray, he was the son of Canadian historian George MacKinnon Wrong, and of Sop ...

. His youngest daughter Barbara married Sir Hugh Cairns the first Nuffield Professor of Surgery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Arthur Lionel 1850 births 1924 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Fellows of Trinity College, Oxford Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford Masters of Balliol College, Oxford 19th-century British historians 20th-century British historians Members of Lincoln's Inn Historians of the University of Oxford