Ian C. Hannah

Born in Chichester in 1874, Ian C. Hannah was educated at Windlesham House School, Winchester College, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He built a varied career as an academic and writer, and at different points lived and worked in both Britain and North America.

He served as president of the University of King's College in Windsor, Nova Scotia, from 1904 to 1906, and later became professor of church history at Oberlin Theological Seminary in Ohio. Alongside his academic work, he wrote widely on places, history, and architecture, with books including Capitals of the Northlands and The Story of Scotland in Stone. Some of his books were illustrated by his wife, the American artist Edith Brand.

Hannah also entered politics and was elected Conservative MP for Bilston in 1935, holding the seat until his death in 1944. Remembered today as both a man of letters and a public servant, he left behind a body of work that reflects a lifelong interest in history, landscape, and national identity.