William Foster (historiographer)

Sir William Foster CIE (19 November 1863 – 11 May 1951) was a British historiographer and civil servant who was Registrar and Superintendent of Records in the India Office.[1] He was a member of the Hakluyt Society and was "the foremost authority on the detailed history of early British relations with India and other countries in Asia."[2]

Sir

William Foster

CIE
Born(1863-11-19)19 November 1863
Died11 May 1951(1951-05-11) (aged 87)

Biography

Foster was born on 19 November 1863, the son of a civil servant. He was educated in Coopers' Grammar School and London University.[3] In 1882 he entered India Office and continued working there until 1927.[3] He became Registrar and Superintendent of Records from 1907 to 1923 and Historiographer to the India Office from 1923 to 1927.[4] He served the Hakluyt Society as Secretary (1893–1902) and President (1928–1945).[3]

Foster was knighted in the 1925 New Year Honours.[5]

Works

A bibliography of Foster is provided by Anthony Farrington.[6]

  • The Register of Letters and of the Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies 1600-1619 with Sir George Birdwood (1893)
  • Letters Received By The East India Company (1897)
  • The Embassy of Sir Thomas Roe to India 1615-19: As Narrated in his Journal and Correspondence 2 vols. (ed. 1899)
  • The English Factories in India, 1618-1669 : a Calendar of Documents in the India Office, British Museum and Public Record Office (1911) first of thirteen volumes, eleven of which are available at: Internet Archive
  • A Guide to the India Office Records, 1600-1858 (1919)
  • Early Travels in India, 1583-1619 (1921)
  • The East India House: its History and Associations (1924)
  • John Company (1926)
  • A Supplementary Calendar of Documents in the India Office Relating to India or to Home Affairs of the East India Company 1600-1640 (1928)
  • Thomas Herbert: Travels in Persia 1627-1629 (ed. 1928)
  • A New Account of the East Indies 2 vols. with Alexander Hamilton (1930)

Also - * Winter, Edward, (signed as "W. F.") in Dictionary of National Biography, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., (1885-1900) in 63 vols.

Bibliography
  • Beckingham, C. F. (1951). "Sir William Foster, C.I.E." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 83 (3–4): 224. doi:10.1017/S0035869X0010499X.

References
  1. "The British Library - India Office Select Materials - Collection details". British Library. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  2. "Obituary: Sir William Foster". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 12 May 1951. p. 8.
  3. Beckingham, C. F. (1951). "Sir William Foster, C.I.E." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 83 (3–4): 224. doi:10.1017/S0035869X0010499X. ISSN 1356-1863.
  4. Makepeace, Margaret (4 June 2020). "An unexpected letter from Sir William Foster of the India Office". British Library. Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  5. "No. 33007". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1924. p. 2.
  6. Farrington, Anthony (1972). Sir William Foster, 1863-1951: A bibliography. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
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