A. R. B. Haldane
Encyclopedia
Archibald Richard Burdon Haldane (1900 – 1982) was a Scottish
social historian
and writer
.
He was the son of Edith (née Nelson) and Sir William Haldane
, grandson of James Alexander Haldane, and nephew of Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane. His brother was Graeme Haldane
and he married Janet Macrae Simpson-Smith.
Like his father and uncles, he attended the Edinburgh Academy
, after which he went up to Balliol College, Oxford
to read history. He returned to Scotland to enter his father's legal firm and acted for a time as Fiscal to the Society of Writers to the Signet. He then became involved in the Savings Bank movement and was at one stage vice-chairman of the Savings Bank Association. In 1982, he was awarded the CBE in recognition of his work for the bank.
He was principally known, however, as a social historian and author, and for his seminal work on the drovers' roads of Scotland. In recognition for his work in this field, he was awarded the honorary degree of D Litt from the University of Edinburgh
. He published two further books in this field, New Ways through the Glens and Three centuries of Scottish posts, as well as several on his favourite pastime of trout fishing, of which he was passionately fond.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
social historian
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
He was the son of Edith (née Nelson) and Sir William Haldane
William Haldane
Sir William Stowell Haldane of Cloan was Crown Agent for Scotland.Haldane was the son of Robert Haldane, and his grandfather was the Scottish evangelist James Alexander Haldane. His mother was Mary Elizabeth Burdon-Sanderson, the daughter of Richard Burdon-Sanderson and the granddaughter of Sir...
, grandson of James Alexander Haldane, and nephew of Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane. His brother was Graeme Haldane
Graeme Haldane
Thomas Graeme Nelson Haldane, known as Graeme Haldane, was a Scottish engineer.He was the son of Sir William Haldane and his wife Edith Nelson...
and he married Janet Macrae Simpson-Smith.
Like his father and uncles, he attended the Edinburgh Academy
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School...
, after which he went up to Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
to read history. He returned to Scotland to enter his father's legal firm and acted for a time as Fiscal to the Society of Writers to the Signet. He then became involved in the Savings Bank movement and was at one stage vice-chairman of the Savings Bank Association. In 1982, he was awarded the CBE in recognition of his work for the bank.
He was principally known, however, as a social historian and author, and for his seminal work on the drovers' roads of Scotland. In recognition for his work in this field, he was awarded the honorary degree of D Litt from the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. He published two further books in this field, New Ways through the Glens and Three centuries of Scottish posts, as well as several on his favourite pastime of trout fishing, of which he was passionately fond.
Selected bibliography
- By Many Waters - 1940
- The Path by the Water - 1944
- The Drove Roads of Scotland - 1952
- New Ways Through the Glens: Highland Road, Bridge and Canal Makers of the Early 19th Century - 1962
- Three Centuries of Scottish Posts: an Historical Survey to 1836 - 1971
- By River, Stream and Loch: Thirty Years with a Trout Rod - 1973
- Great Fishmonger of the Tay: John Richardson of Perth and Pitfour, 1760-1821 - 1981