William Douglas Simpson CBE

CBE

CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...

 (2 August 1896 - 9 October 1968) was a Scottish

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...

 architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

 and archaeology

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

 academic and writer.

Born in Aberdeen, he was appointed Assistant in History at the University of Aberdeen

University of Aberdeen

The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...

, before becoming Lecturer in British History. He later held the honorary positions of Rhind Lecturer in Archaeology (1941) and Dalrymple Lecturer in Archaeology (1950) at the University of Glasgow

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...

.

Simpson was appointed librarian at Aberdeen University in 1926, a post he held for forty years.

Although not a trained archaeologist, he directed excavations at Kildrummy Castle

Kildrummy Castle

Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. Though ruined, it is one of the most extensive castles of 13th century date to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar....

, Coull Castle, Kindrochit Castle

Kindrochit Castle

Kindrochit Castle is an early fortification in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Originally founded by Malcolm Canmore in 1059 AD as a hunting lodge on the banks of the Clunie, various authors have puzzled as to the reasons for siting the castle in this wild and remote location. C...

, Doune of Invernochty

Doune of Invernochty

The Doune of Invernochty is an earthwork castle in Scotland. The name is a corruption of Dùn Inbhir Nochdaidh which means, in Gaelic, the "Fort of Invernochty ."...

, Esslemont Castle, Dundarg Castle

Dundarg Castle

Dundarg Castle is a ruined castle about north-northeast of New Aberdour, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was one of the The Nine Castles of Knuckle....

 and Finavon Castle

Finavon Castle

Finavon Castle lies on the River South Esk, about a quarter of a mile south of Milton of Finavon village and five miles to the north-east of Forfar in Angus, Scotland...

. Although his archaeological findings have been superseded, his detailed studies of buildings and structures remain key documents.

He wrote numerous books and articles based on this and other research, through which he became well known as an authority on the castellated architecture of Scotland and Scandinavia

Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

. He held several appointments in relation to this work, including chairman of the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland and membership of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government 'sponsored' [financed and with oversight] through Historic Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government...

. He was a member of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery

Scottish National Portrait Gallery

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery on Queen Street, Edinburgh, Scotland. It holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. In addition it also holds the Scottish National Photography Collection...

 Advisory Board and Scottish Records Advisory Council.

W. Douglas Simpson was the author of a wide range of publications on architectural matters, from academic papers to general guides aimed at the tourist. Several of his guidebooks remain in print by Historic Scotland

Historic Scotland

Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...

. His lectures and talks were hugely successful and well attended not just by students but a more general audience.

He was appointed OBE in 1954 and CBE in 1962.

Selected publications

• The ancient stones of Scotland (1965)
• Castles from the air (1949)
• The Highlands of Scotland (1976)
• Scottish Castles: An introduction (1959)