F. W. (Frederic William) Moorman

Born in 1872, he grew up in Devon and later studied in Strasbourg before joining Yorkshire College in Leeds in 1898. When that institution became the University of Leeds, he went on to become its first Professor of English Language in 1912, a role he held until 1918.

He wrote poetry and plays, edited major literary texts including The Winter's Tale for the Arden Shakespeare and The Poetical Works of Robert Herrick for Oxford University Press, and took a deep interest in regional speech and history. Much of his work centered on Yorkshire stories, dialect, and place-names, reflecting a lasting fascination with the culture and language of the county.

He was also connected with adult education through the Workers' Educational Association, and his enthusiasm as a teacher left a strong impression on students, including the future writer Herbert Read. Though he died in 1919, his poem "The Dalesman's Litany" and his Yorkshire-inspired writing helped preserve a rich sense of local voice and tradition.