A. Berriedale Keith
Encyclopedia
Arthur Berriedale Keith was a Scottish constitutional lawyer, scholar of Sanskrit
and Indologist. He became Regius Professor of Sanskrit and Lecturer in Constitutional History in the University of Edinburgh
.
and the University of Edinburgh
before going on to Balliol College, Oxford
. Top in the civil service exam of 1901, with marks never bettered, he served in the Colonial Office
from 1901 to 1914, with a break at the Crown Agents between 1903 and 1905.
He helped set up the Dominions division of the CO in 1907 and organize the 1911 Imperial Conference, and rose to be private secretary to the Permanent Under-Secretary.He was called to the English bar in his spare time. Was appointed to the Regius Chair of Sanskrit in 1914. He made great contributions to Vedic
and classical Sanskrit
scholarship, and was called in to advise the Government during the abdication crisis in 1936. He wrote twenty-one books on Commonwealth history with even more on philology and law.
A biography was penned on Berriedale by Ridgway (Jr.) Shinn titled "The Chief Ornament of Scottish Learning", narrating and analyzing "the achievements and failures on one of leading authorities on the constitution of the British Empire". http://www.antiqbook.co.uk/boox/mwb/50729.shtml
After his death his sister gifted to the University of Edinburgh
Library his books and papers on Sanskrit and the history and law of India and the British Empire as the Arthur Berridale Keith Collection.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Indologist. He became Regius Professor of Sanskrit and Lecturer in Constitutional History in 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...
.
Biography
The third son of a newsagent in Edinburgh, and brother of the administrator in Burma Sir William John Keith, Arthur Berriedale Keith was educated at the Royal High SchoolRoyal High School (Edinburgh)
The Royal High School of Edinburgh is a co-educational state school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, and has, throughout its history, been high achieving, consistently attaining well above average exam results...
and 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...
before going on 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....
. Top in the civil service exam of 1901, with marks never bettered, he served in the Colonial Office
Colonial Office
Colonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department* Office of Insular Affairs - the American government agency* Reichskolonialamt - the German Colonial Office...
from 1901 to 1914, with a break at the Crown Agents between 1903 and 1905.
He helped set up the Dominions division of the CO in 1907 and organize the 1911 Imperial Conference, and rose to be private secretary to the Permanent Under-Secretary.He was called to the English bar in his spare time. Was appointed to the Regius Chair of Sanskrit in 1914. He made great contributions to Vedic
Vedic Sanskrit
Vedic Sanskrit is an old Indo-Aryan language. It is an archaic form of Sanskrit, an early descendant of Proto-Indo-Iranian. It is closely related to Avestan, the oldest preserved Iranian language...
and classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
scholarship, and was called in to advise the Government during the abdication crisis in 1936. He wrote twenty-one books on Commonwealth history with even more on philology and law.
A biography was penned on Berriedale by Ridgway (Jr.) Shinn titled "The Chief Ornament of Scottish Learning", narrating and analyzing "the achievements and failures on one of leading authorities on the constitution of the British Empire". http://www.antiqbook.co.uk/boox/mwb/50729.shtml
After his death his sister gifted to 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...
Library his books and papers on Sanskrit and the history and law of India and the British Empire as the Arthur Berridale Keith Collection.
Constitutional law and history
- The Theory of State Succession (1907)
- Responsible Government in the Dominions
- 1st edition, 1x vol. (1909)
- "Revised" edition, 3x vols. (1912)
- "Second" edition, 2x vols. (1928)
- Imperial Unity and the Dominions (1916)
- The Belgian Congo and the Berlin Act (1919)
- The British Cabinet System
- The Causes of the War
- The Constitution of England from Queen Victoria to George VI
- Dominion Home Rule in Practice (1921)
- War Government of the British Dominions (1921)
- The Sovereignty of the British Dominions (1929)
- Speeches and Documents on Colonial Policy 1763–1917
- Speeches and Documents on the British Dominions 1918–1931
- The Constitutional Law of the British Dominions (1933)
- The Governments of the British Empire (1935)
- The King and the Imperial Crown (1936)
- A Constitutional History of India (1600–1935), Methuen and Co. Ltd, London (1936)
- The Privileges and Rights of the Crown
- The Dominions as Sovereign States
Indian culture and literature
- Indian Mythology (1917)
- The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads (1925)
- The Samkhya System: A History of the Samkhya Philosophy (1918)
- Buddhist Philosophy in India
- A History of Sanskrit Literature (1920)
Translations
- The Aitareya Aranyaka (1909)
- The Veda of the Black Yajus School (Taittiriya Sanhita)
- Rigveda Brahmanas: the Aitareya and Kausitaki Brahmanas of the Rigveda (1920)