Regius Professor Of English Language And Literature, Glasgow
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The Regius Chair of English Language and Literature at the
University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...
was founded in 1861 by
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
, and is the only
Regius Professor A Regius Professor is a university Professor (highest academic rank), professor who has, or originally had, Monarchy of the United Kingdom, royal patronage or appointment. They are a unique feature of academia in the United Kingdom and Republic ...
ship in the Faculty of Arts.


History

The first professor appointed was John Nichol, a graduate of the university and
Snell Exhibition The Snell Exhibition is an annual scholarship awarded to students of the University of Glasgow to allow them to undertake postgraduate study at Balliol College, Oxford. The award was founded by the bequest of Sir John Snell in a will made in 16 ...
er at
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 ...
, and son of
John Pringle Nichol John Pringle Nichol Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE FRAS (13 January 1804 – 19 September 1859) was a Scotland, Scottish educator, phrenologist, astronomer and economist who did much to popularise astronomy in a manner that appe ...
, former Regius Professor of Astronomy at the university. Nichol had formerly been a coach 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 ...
, where along with
A. V. Dicey Albert Venn Dicey, (4 February 1835 – 7 April 1922) was a British Whig jurist and constitutional theorist. He is most widely known as the author of '' Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution'' (1885). The principles it expou ...
,
Vinerian Professor of English Law The Vinerian Professorship of English Law, formerly Vinerian Professorship of Common Law, was established by Charles Viner, who by his will, dated 29 December 1755, left about £12,000 to the chancellor, masters and scholars of the University ...
, philosopher
Thomas Hill Green Thomas Hill Green (7 April 183626 March 1882), known as T. H. Green, was an English philosopher, political radical and temperance reformer, and a member of the British idealism movement. Like all the British idealists, Green was influe ...
and poet
Algernon Charles Swinburne Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He wrote many plays – all tragedies – and collections of poetry such as '' Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the Eleve ...
he formed the Old Mortality Society, a literary discussion society. Whilst at Glasgow, Nichol maintained his strong reputation in literary criticism, lecturing at the same time at Oxford as well as tutoring privately across the country. He was also a supporter of the higher education of women. He left the chair in 1889 and died in 1894. In 1885, the Nichol Prize for the most distinguished woman student in the Ordinary class of English Literature was founded by his sister, Lucy Jack. Nichol was succeeded in 1889 by Andrew Cecil Bradley, a highly respected literary critic and noted scholar of
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
, and brother of philosopher Francis Bradley. Bradley had studied at
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 ...
, and was at the time of his appointment a lecturer at University College Liverpool, now the
University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...
. In 1892, Bradley described his Glasgow students as "a set of savages whom it is a loathsome drudgery to teach," although he remained at the university until 1900, and in 1901 was elected Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford. He delivered the 1907-1908
Gifford Lectures The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford at the four ancient universities of Scotland: St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Their purpose is to "pro ...
at the university. The Bradley Chair of English Literature was named after him, and his name was placed on the Memorial Gates erected to mark the university's quincentenary in 1951. The Gifford Lectures, a series of which Bradley delivered at the university, were instituted by the will of
Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford FRSE (; 29 February 1820 Edinburgh – 20 January 1887) was a Scottish advocate and judge. He was the founder of the Gifford Lectures. Life Gifford was born in Edinburgh on 29 February 1820 to Katherine Ann (née Wes ...
, and it was his nephew,
Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebell ...
, who succeeded Bradley in the Regius Chair in 1900. Raleigh had studied at
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and
King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...
, where he was president of the
Cambridge Union The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a historic debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. The society was founded in 1815 making it the oldest ...
, and was appointed the first Professor of English Literature at the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College in
Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Koil) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capital, New Delhi. ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. He then worked as Professor of Modern Literature at University College, Liverpool before being appointed to the Regius Chair in 1900. He remained in the chair for only four years, being appointed Merton Professor of English Literature in 1904. He was knighted in 1911. In 1904, the celebrated Scottish author, William Macneile Dixon, was appointed to the chair. He studied at
Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...
and had previously been Professor of English Literature at the
University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
. He was succeeded in 1935 by Peter Alexander, who had been the Queen Margaret Lecturer in English Literature. He retired in 1963 and was awarded a
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in 1964. In 1965, Peter Butter was appointed to the chair, having previously been Professor of English at
Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...
. He retired in 1986 and was succeeded in 1990 by Alexander Prickett. Prickett was a
Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the peopl ...
in 1979 and has taught at a number of institutions, including the
University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...
,
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
and
Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...
,
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. He retired in 2001. In 2004, Nigel Leask, Reader in Romantic Literature at the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, was appointed to the chair.


Regius Professors of English Language and Literature

* John Nichol (1862 – 1889) *
A. C. Bradley Andrew Cecil Bradley, (26 March 1851 – 2 September 1935) was an English literary scholar, best remembered for his work on Shakespeare. Life Bradley was born at Park Hill, Clapham, then in Surrey but now part of London. His father was the pr ...
(1889 – 1900) *
Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellio ...
(1900 - 1904) * William Macneile Dixon (1904 – 1935) *
Peter Alexander Peter Alexander may refer to: * Pete Alexander (born Grover Cleveland Alexander; 1887–1950), American baseball player * Peter Alexander (Shakespearean scholar) (1893–1969), professor of English language and literature at the University of Glasgo ...
(1935 – 1963) *Peter Herbert Butter (1965 – 1986) *Stephen Prickett (1990 – 2001) * Nigel Leask (2004 – )


See also

* List of Professorships at the University of Glasgow


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Regius Professor Of English Language And Literature, Glasgow English Language and Literature Professorships in literature 1861 establishments in Scotland English Language and Literature