author
David MacRitchie
1851–1925
A Scottish folklorist and antiquarian with a taste for bold ideas, he is best remembered for exploring how myths, fairies, and old traditions might preserve traces of real history. His books range across folklore, archaeology, and Romani studies, giving readers a vivid glimpse of late Victorian and early 20th-century scholarship.
2 Audiobooks
The Testimony of Tradition
by David MacRitchie
Fians, Fairies and Picts
by David MacRitchie
About the author
David MacRitchie was born in Edinburgh on April 16, 1851, and became known as a Scottish folklorist and antiquarian. He studied at the Edinburgh Southern Academy, the Edinburgh Institute, and the University of Edinburgh, and although he did not take a degree, he qualified as a chartered accountant.
Alongside his professional life, he built a strong reputation as an independent scholar. He helped found the Gypsy Lore Society in 1888 and later served as its president after the society was revived. He was also active in Scotland’s learned societies, including the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, where he served on the council and later as vice-president.
MacRitchie is now chiefly remembered for an unusual and influential theory: he argued that fairy traditions in Britain may have grown from memories of earlier peoples once living in the islands. Whether or not modern readers accept that idea, his work shows a lively effort to connect folklore, archaeology, and historical imagination. He died on January 14, 1925.