William Crooke

Born in County Cork on August 6, 1848, William Crooke was educated at Trinity College Dublin and went on to join the Indian Civil Service. During his years in northern India, he developed a lasting interest in local traditions, social groups, and popular religion, turning close observation into a substantial body of writing.

Crooke became especially known for works such as Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India, Tribes and Castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, and Things Indian. He was also active in the study of folklore more broadly and later served as editor of the journal Folk-Lore from 1915 until his death.

He died in Cheltenham on October 25, 1923. Today he is remembered as an influential, if very much of his time, recorder of customs and beliefs in British India, and his work is still consulted by readers interested in folklore, anthropology, and colonial-era scholarship.