W. P. (William Paton) Ker

Born in Glasgow on August 30, 1855, William Paton Ker studied at Glasgow Academy, the University of Glasgow, and Balliol College, Oxford. He was elected to a fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford, early in his career and went on to build a reputation as one of the leading literary scholars of his time.

Ker taught in Cardiff and later at University College London, where he served as Professor of English Language and Literature. He is especially remembered for his work on medieval writing, including Epic and Romance and Medieval English Literature, books that helped shape the academic study of those subjects for generations of readers.

Alongside his scholarly work, he was known as an essayist with a readable, energetic style rather than a dry academic voice. In the last part of his career he was elected Oxford Professor of Poetry, and he died on July 17, 1923.