Robert Kerr Hannay (31 December 1867, Glasgow – 19 March 1940, Edinburgh) was a Scottish historian. He served as Historiographer Royal for Scotland and Chair of Scottish History and Palaeography at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. He collected and calendared the letters of both

James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauch ...

and

James V James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV a ...

, and wrote ''The Early History of the Scottish Signet''.

Life

He was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

on 31 December 1867. He was the eldest of seven children of Elizabeth McDowall of

Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; , possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot where some say it ceases to ...

, and Thomas Hannay (1841–1916). His father owned the estate of Rusco, but in 1878 had sold it to settle debts, theafter becoming an agent for the iron-masters William Whitwell & Co. The family thereafter lived at 16 Woodside Terrace in Glasgow. He was educated at the Albany Academy in

. He then went first to 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 ...

and 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 ...

graduating with an MA from the latter in 1891. He began lecturing in Ancient History at the University College, Dundee (then a part of the University of St Andrews) in 1894. In 1901 he transferred to the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

. From 1911 to 1919 he left academia to act as Curator of Register House in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. From 1919 to 1930 he was

Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Palaeography Sir William Fraser, (18 February 1816 – 13 March 1898) was a solicitor and notable expert in ancient Scottish history, palaeography, and genealogy. Life Fraser's family were farmers and craftsmen in The Mearns. He was the eldest of the ...

the

. From 1930 he was Historiographer Royal for Scotland. In 1922 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

. His proposers were

Cargill Gilston Knott Cargill Gilston Knott FRS, FRSE LLD (30 June 1856 – 26 October 1922) was a Scottish physicist and mathematician who was a pioneer in seismological research. He spent his early career in Japan. He later became a Fellow of the Royal Society, ...

James Hartley Ashworth James Hartley Ashworth (2 May 1874 – 4 February 1936) was a British marine zoologist. Life See He was born on 2, May 1874, in Accrington in Lancashire, the only son of James Ashworth. He spent most of his early life in Burnley, attending t ...

James Alfred Ewing Sir James Alfred Ewing MInstitCE (27 March 1855 − 7 January 1935) was a Scottish physicist and engineer, best known for his work on the magnetic properties of metals and, in particular, for his discovery of, and coinage of the word, ''hy ...

, and Sir Edmund Taylor Whittaker. The University of St Andrews awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD) in 1923. He was living at 5 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh, in 1936 and died in

on 19 March 1940.

Family

In 1899 he married Jane Ewing Wilson CBE (died 1938), daughter of Rev John Stewart Wilson DD of New Abbet. They had one son, Robert Stewart Erskine Hannay (born 1900). He is the grandfather of writer Robert Alastair Hannay.

Publications

*The Arch-Bishops of St Andrews (co-written with Sir John Herkless) (1907) *St Cuthbert's Kirk and its Saint (1933) *The Letters of James IV (1953) *The Letters of James V (1954)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannay, Robert Kerr 1867 births 1940 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 20th-century Scottish historians 19th-century Scottish historians Writers from Glasgow Alumni of the University of Glasgow Alumni of University College, Oxford Academics of the University of Dundee Academics of the University of St Andrews Scottish curators Academics of the University of Edinburgh