W. Basil (William Basil) Worsfold

Born in Yorkshire in 1858, William Basil Worsfold was educated at St. Peter’s School, York, Wakefield School, and University College, Oxford. He was called to the Bar in 1887, but his career ranged well beyond law: he also worked as a lecturer and writer, building a reputation for clear, informed books on history, public affairs, and literary subjects.

From the 1890s into the early 20th century, he published extensively, with a strong focus on British colonial history and South Africa. Archive records note that he lectured on economics and literature for the Oxford Extension Delegates and the London Joint Board, and collections of his papers survive in major research archives.

Worsfold died in 1939. For today’s listeners, he offers a window into how an educated British writer of his time understood politics, culture, and the expanding empire — sometimes insightful, sometimes very much of his era.