Sir William Robertson Nicoll (10 October 18514 May 1923) was a Scottish

Free Church A free church is any Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church neither defines government policy, nor accept church theology or policy definitions from the government. A f ...

minister, journalist,

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

, and

man of letters An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the world of culture, either ...

Biography

Nicoll was born in Lumsden, Aberdeenshire, the son of Rev. Harry Nicoll (1812–1891), a Free Church minister of Auchindoir, and his wife, Jane Robertson. He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and graduated MA at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

in 1870, and studied for the ministry at the Free Church Divinity Hall there until 1874, when he was ordained minister of the Free Church at

Dufftown Dufftown ( ) is a burgh in Moray, Scotland. While the town is part of the historic Mortlach parish, the town was established and laid out in the early 19th century as part of a planned new town settlement. The town has several listed 19th centur ...

Banffshire Banffshire (; ; ) is a historic county in Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. The historic county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Since 1996 the area has been spli ...

. Three years later he moved to Kelso where he met Jane T. Stoddart. He was to be a great influence on her life. In 1884 became he editor of '' The Expositor'' for

Hodder and Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.H ...

, a position which he held until his death. In 1885, Nicoll was forced to retire from pastoral ministry after an attack of

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

had badly damaged his lung. In 1886, he moved south to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. With the support of Hodder and Stoughton he founded the '' British Weekly'', a Nonconformist newspaper, which gained great influence over opinion in the "free churches" (i.e. those Christian denominations outside the established church). He had been working with Jane Stoddart on a project and in 1890 she left teaching to join him on a full time basis as his assistant. Nicoll secured many writers of exceptional talent for his paper (including Marcus Dods,

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

, Ian Maclaren,

Alexander Whyte ''For the British colonial administrator, see Alexander Frederick Whyte'' Rev Alexander Whyte D.D.,LL.D. (13 January 18366 January 1921) was a Scotland, Scottish Anglican divine, divine. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Chu ...

Alexander Maclaren Alexander Maclaren (11 February 1826 – 5 May 1910) was a Scottish Baptist minister and writer. Biography Maclaren was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of David Maclaren, a merchant and Baptist lay preacher.Edwin Charles Dargan (1912) '' ...

, Carnegie Simpson and James Denney), to which he added his own considerable talents as a contributor. He began a highly popular feature, "Correspondence of Claudius Clear", which enabled him to share his interests and his reading with his readers. He was also the founding editor of '' The Bookman'' from 1891, and acted as chief literary adviser to Hodder and Stoughton. Among his other enterprises were ''The Expositor's Bible'' (originally published by Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1896, but afterward reprinted in New York by A. C. Armstrong & Son) and ''The Theological Educator''. He edited ''The Expositor's Greek Testament'' (from 1897). He also edited a series of ''Contemporary Writers'' (from 1894), and of ''Literary Lives'' (from 1904). He projected, but never wrote, a history of ''The Victorian Era in English Literature'', and edited, with T. J. Wise, two volumes of ''Literary Anecdotes of the Nineteenth Century''. He was

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

by King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

in 1909, ostensibly for his literary work, but in reality probably more for his long-term support for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

. He was appointed to the

Order of the Companions of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an Order (distinction), order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. It was founded on the same date as the Order of the Brit ...

(CH) in the 1921 Birthday Honours. Nicoll was the father of Maurice Nicoll, a leading British psychologist and author who studied under

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of Carl Jung publications, over 20 books, illustrator, and corr ...

and became a leading expositor of the teachings of the Greco-Armenian spiritual master G.I. Gurdjieff. He died on 4 May 1923 at his home, Bay Tree House, in

Frognal Frognal is a small area of Hampstead, North West London in the London Borough of Camden. Frognal is reinforced as the name of a minor road, which goes uphill from Finchley Road and at its upper end is in the west of Hampstead village. Histor ...

Hampstead, London Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

and is buried in a family grave on the west side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...

Family

He married twice: firstly in 1878 to Isabella Dunlop (1857–1894); secondly in 1897 to Catherine Pollard (1863–1960). Children from the first marriage were Isa Constance Nicoll (1881–1963) an author and poet, and Henry Maurice Dunlop Nicoll (1884–1953) a noted psychiatrist. The one child of the second marriage was Mildred Robertson Nicoll (1898–1995).

Works

#''Calls to Christ'', (1877) Morgan & Scott: London. #''The Yale Lectures on Preaching'': (1878) Reprinted from the British and Foreign Evangelical Review. #''Songs of Rest irst Series', (1879) Macniven & Wallace, Edinburgh: combined with Second Series (1893), Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''The Incarnate Saviour'', (1881) T. & T. Clark: Edinburgh, (1882) Robert Carter & Brothers: New York. #''The Lamb of God'', (1883) Macniven & Wallace: Edinburgh. #''John Bunyan'' (1884) in The Evangelical Succession, Macniven & Wallace: Edinburgh. #''James Macdonell, Journalist'', (1890) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''Professor W.G. Elmslie, D.D.'', (1890) (with Macnicoll, A.N.) Hodder & Stoughton: London: revised and enlarged as Professor Elmslie: A Memoir (1911) by W Robertson Nicoll ut minus sermons #''The Key of the Grave'', (1894) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''Ten Minute Sermons'', (1894) Isbister & Co: reprinted 1910, Hodder & Stoughton. #''The Seven Words from the Cross'', (1895) Hodder & Stoughton, London. #''When the Worst comes to the Worst'', (1896) Isbister & Co. #''Henry Drummond: A Memorial Sketch'', (1897) prefixed to Drummond's posthumous volume, The Ideal Life, Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''The Return to the Cross'', (1897) reprint 1910, Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''Letters to Ministers on the Clerical Life'', (1898) (with others) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''The Ascent of the Soul'', (1899) Isbister & Co. #''Letters on Life: by Claudius Clear'', (1901) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''The Church's One Foundation'', (1901) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''A Memorial Article, Hugh Price Hughes as we knew him'', (1902) H Marshall & Son. #''Robert Louis Stevenson, in the Bookman Booklet Series'', (1902/6) Hodder & Stoughton, London. #''The Garden of Nuts'', (1905) Hodder & Stoughton: London.
''The Day Book of Claudius Clear''
(1905) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''The Scottish Free Church Trust and its Donors'', (1905) Hodder & Stoughton: London.
''A History of English Literature''
Volumes, originally published as The Bookman Illustrated History of English Literature(1906) (with Seccombe) Hodder & Stoughton, London. #''The Lamp of Sacrifice'', (1906) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #Introduction and Appreciation, Memoirs of the Late Dr Barnardo, Mrs Barnardo & James Marchant'', (1907) Hodder & Stoughton, London. #''My Father. An Aberdeenshire Minister'', (1908) Hodder & Stoughton: London.
''Ian Maclaren, The Life of the Rev. John Watson D.D.''
(1908) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #Introduction' to Jane Stoddart's Against the Referendum'', (1910) Hodder & Stoughton, London.
''The Round of the Clock: The Story of Our Lives from Year to Year (Claudius Clear)''
(1910) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''Sermons of C.H. Spurgeon'', (N/D: but after 1910) Nelson & Sons: London. #''The Christian Attitude Towards Democracy'' eprinted from the British Weekly (1912) Hodder & Stoughton, London. #''The Problem of 'Edwin Drood (A study in the Methods of Dickens), (1912) Hodder & Stoughton. London. #''A Bookman's Letters'', (1913) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''The Difference Christ is Making'' eprinted from the British Weekly (1914) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''Prayer in War Time'', (1916) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''Reunion in Eternity'', (1918) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''Edited with 'Appreciation', Letters of Principal James Denney to W. Robertson Nicoll'', (1920) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''Princes of the Church'', (1921) Hodder & Stoughton: London. #''Dickens's Own Story: Sidelights on his Life and personality'', (1923) eprints from 'Claudius Clear' in the British Weekly Prefatory Note by St John Adcock, Chapman & Hall Ltd, London. #''Memories of Mark Rutherford (William Hale White)'', (1924) eprints from 'Claudius Clear' in the British Weekly T Fisher Unwin, London. A list of his publications up to 1902 was included in a monograph on Nicoll by Jane T. Stoddart (''New Century Leaders'', 1903). The official biography was written by Nicoll's friend T. H. Darlow and published in 1925 as a more complete list. A new biographical appreciation written by Keith A. Ives was published in 2011: "Voice of Nonconformity: William Robertson Nicoll and the British Weekly”.

Footnotes

References

*Biography, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'' *Biography, T. H. Darlow. ''William Robertson Nicoll''. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1925. *Biography, Keith A. Ives, ''Voice of Nonconformity: William Robertson Nicoll and The British Weekly''. Cambridge: The Lutterworth Press, 2011. *

External links

* * * * *
Article on William Robertson Nicoll in Feb. 1895 edition of ''The Bookman'' (New York)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicoll, William Robertson 1851 births 1923 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery People from Marr, Scotland People educated at Aberdeen Grammar School Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour 19th-century ministers of the Free Church of Scotland 19th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Scottish journalists Scottish newspaper editors Scottish tax resisters Knights Bachelor Kailyard school