Biography of Dr. Rev. George Henderson

Rev. Dr. George Henderson was the first full time lecturer of Celtic studies at the University.

Born in Kitarlity, George first began his studies in Gaelic at the local Raining School in Inverness. He went on to study Arts at the University of Edinburgh followed by further studies at the Universities of Berlin, Vienna, where he obtained his PhD, and Oxford, where he was awarded a B. Litt for his research on dialects of Scottish Gaelic.

Following his studies he became a minister of the Church of Scotland and it was during this time that he wrote many of his best-known works, such as Dàin Iain Gobha (1893-6) and Leabhar nan Gleann (1898).

It was in 1906, following a fundraising campaign to secure a full-time Celtic lecturer, that he was offered the Kelly MacCallum Lectureship at the University of Glasgow, a post he held until his death in 1912.

The University’s Henderson Manuscript Collection contains several hundred Gaelic manuscripts and transcriptions formed by the Rev. Dr George Henderson.

Summary

Dr. Rev. George Henderson
Born 18 February 1866.
Died 26 June 1912.
University Link: Benefactor, Lecturer
GU Degree:
Occupation categories: Celtic scholars; lecturer; ministers
View Major Archive Collection Record
Record last updated: 9th Aug 2017

University Connections

University Roles

• Benefactor
• Lecturer