# Ernest Scott

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Australian historian (1867–1939)

This article is about the Australian historian. For the pseudonymous author of the book *The People of the Secret*, see [Ernest Scott (pseudonym)](/source/Ernest_Scott_(pseudonym)). For the baseball player, see [Ernest Scott (baseball)](/source/Ernest_Scott_(baseball)). For the American physiologist and diabetes researcher, see [Ernest Lyman Scott](/source/Ernest_Lyman_Scott).

Ernest Scott Scott (left) and William Harrison Moore photographed in the Quadrangle of the Old Law building, University of Melbourne, c. 1914–1918 Born (1867-06-21)21 June 1867 Northampton, England Died (1939-12-06)6 December 1939 Spouses Mabel Emily Besant (1892-1915) Emily Scott (1916-39) Children Muriel (1893-1924) Academic work Institutions University of Melbourne (1913–36) Notable students W. K. Hancock Manning Clark Stephen Henry Roberts Main interests Australian history Notable works The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders, R.N. Short History of Australia

**Sir Ernest Scott** (21 June 1867 – 6 December 1939) was an [Australian historian](/source/Australian_historian) and professor of history at the [University of Melbourne](/source/University_of_Melbourne) from 1913 to 1936.

## Early life

Scott was born in [Northampton](/source/Northampton), England, on 21 June 1867, the son of Hannah Scott, a housekeeper; William Scott, civil engineer, was cited as his father when Ernest married.[1] Ernest Scott was educated at St Katherine's Church of England School, Northampton and worked as a journalist on the London *[Globe](/source/The_Globe_(London_newspaper))*. On 7 May 1892 Scott married [Mabel Emily Besant](/source/Mabel_Besant-Scott), daughter of Rev. Frank and [Annie Besant](/source/Annie_Besant), the [theosophist](/source/Theosophy_(Blavatskian)); they had one child, Muriel (1893–1924).[1]

## Career

In 1892 Scott (who began to call himself Besant-Scott at his wife's insistence) migrated to Australia, where he joined the staff of [*The Herald*](/source/The_Herald_(Melbourne)) newspaper, edited the *Austral Theosophist* (established by [Isabel Cooper-Oakley](/source/Isabel_Cooper-Oakley)[2]) which appeared from January 1894 to February 1895,[3] and lectured. Around 1896 Mabel converted to [Roman Catholicism](/source/Roman_Catholicism) and became estranged from her husband, although they continued nominal cohabitation. Scott subsequently abandoned theosophy. Mabel returned to England in 1909, taking their daughter Muriel, but Scott did not sue for divorce until 1915. On 25 May in Melbourne, Scott married to Bendigo-born Emily Illinden Fortuna, sister of [Edward Dyason](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Dyason&action=edit&redlink=1). They had no children.

From 1895 to 1901 Scott was a member of the Victorian [Hansard](/source/Hansard) staff, and from 1901 to 1914 was on the Commonwealth Hansard staff. After the publication of *Terre Napoléon: A History of French Explorations and Projects in Australia* (London, 1910), *Laperouse* (Sydney, 1912) and *[The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Life_of_Captain_Matthew_Flinders,_R.N.)* (Sydney, 1914), Scott's reputation as a historian was established.

In 1913 Scott was appointed Professor of History at the [University of Melbourne](/source/University_of_Melbourne). Future professors of history who passed through Scott's school included [(Sir) Keith Hancock](/source/Sir_(William)_Keith_Hancock), [Fred Alexander](/source/Fred_Alexander_(historian)), [Marnie Bassett](/source/Marnie_Bassett), [(Sir) Stephen Henry Roberts](/source/Stephen_Henry_Roberts), [Manning Clark](/source/Manning_Clark), N. D. Harper[1] and [A. G. B. Fisher](/source/A._G._B._Fisher) of [Christchurch](/source/Christchurch).[4]

Scott's other works included *A Short History of Australia* (1916), *Men and Thought in Modern History* (1916), *History and Historical Problems* (1925), *Australian Discovery* (1929) and in 1933 appeared volume VII of *The Cambridge History of the British Empire*, edited and partly written by Scott. *Australia During the War*, being volume XI of *[The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918](/source/The_Official_History_of_Australia_in_the_War_of_1914%E2%80%931918)*, appeared in 1936. Scott retired in 1936, was knighted in June 1939 and died of a coronary thrombosis on 6 December 1939.

## Legacy

Scott's widow Emily Scott donated money to the University of Melbourne to establish the [Ernest Scott Prize for History](/source/Australian_History_Awards), which is awarded annually for the most distinguished contribution to the history of Australia or New Zealand.[5][6]

### The Scott lineage of historians

Lines of historians in Australia can be traced to Scott at the [University of Melbourne](/source/University_of_Melbourne). Among his undergraduate students were future historians [Manning Clark](/source/Manning_Clark) and [W. K. Hancock](/source/W._K._Hancock). Clark later went on to teach a third generation of historians which included [Geoffrey Blainey](/source/Geoffrey_Blainey), [Geoffrey Serle](/source/Geoffrey_Serle), [Ken Inglis](/source/Ken_Inglis), and Michael Roe. This generation would "transform the writing of Australian history over the following five decades."[7] A fourth generation was taught by Blainey, including [Janet McCalman](/source/Janet_McCalman) and [Stuart Macintyre](/source/Stuart_Macintyre). Inglis taught [Bill Gammage](/source/Bill_Gammage) and [Hank Nelson](/source/Hank_Nelson). Among Macintyre's former undergraduate students was [Frank Bongiorno](/source/Frank_Bongiorno).

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-adb_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-adb_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-adb_1-2) [Fitzpatrick, Kathleen](/source/Kathleen_Fitzpatrick_(Australian_academic)) (1988). ["Sir Ernest Scott (1867–1939)"](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/scott-sir-ernest-8367). *Scott, Sir Ernest (1867–1939), Australian Dictionary of Biography*. Vol. 11. [Melbourne University Press](/source/Melbourne_University_Press). pp. 544–546. Retrieved 22 December 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Harris, Philip Sydney; Oliveira, Linda (2006), ["Australia, Theosophy in"](https://theosophy.world/encyclopedia/australia-theosophy), in Harris, Philip Sydney (ed.), *Theosophical Encyclopedia*, Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [*The Austral theosophist: a magazine devoted to the diffusion of knowledge on the esoteric philosophy and kindred subjects*](https://natlib-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1s57t7d/NLNZ_ALMA21193869170002836), [National Library of New Zealand](/source/National_Library_of_New_Zealand), retrieved 30 April 2025

1. **[^](#cite_ref-AuDB_1949_4-0)** [Serle, Percival](/source/Percival_Serle) (1949). ["Scott, Sir Ernest (1867–1939)"](http://australian_biography.academic.ru/837/SCOTT,_Sir_Ernest_(1867–1939)). *[Dictionary of Australian Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_Australian_Biography)*. [Angus and Robertson](/source/Angus_and_Robertson). Retrieved 30 August 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Statute R6.61 – Ernest Scott Prize](http://www.unimelb.edu.au/Statutes/r6061.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20060830011530/http://www.unimelb.edu.au/Statutes/r6061.htm) 30 August 2006 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) at the [University of Melbourne](/source/University_of_Melbourne)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Ernest Scott Prize page](http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/scholarships/prizes-and-scholarships/ernest-scott-prize) at the [University of Melbourne](/source/University_of_Melbourne) Faculty of Arts

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Rae Frances and Bruce Scates, Obituary of Ken Inglis, Australian Historical Studies, 2018, Vol. 43, No. 3, 410-412.

## External links

English [Wikisource](/source/Wikisource) has original works by or about:

**[Ernest Scott](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/en:Author:Ernest_Scott)**

- [Pictures of Ernest Scott](http://www.pictureaustralia.org/apps/pictureaustralia?action=PASearch&mode=search&complete1=true&attribute1=subject&term1=Scott%2C+Ernest%2C+1868-1939+--+Photographs)[*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] at [Picture Australia](/source/Picture_Australia)

- [Works by Ernest Scott](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1406) at [Project Gutenberg](/source/Project_Gutenberg)

- [Works by Ernest Scott](http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty-n-z.html#scott) at [Project Gutenberg Australia](/source/Project_Gutenberg_Australia)

- [Works by or about Ernest Scott](https://archive.org/search.php?query=%28%28subject%3A%22Scott%2C%20Ernest%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Ernest%20Scott%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Scott%2C%20Ernest%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Ernest%20Scott%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Ernest%20Scott%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Scott%2C%20Ernest%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Ernest%20Scott%22%29%20OR%20%28%221867-1939%22%20AND%20Scott%29%29%20AND%20%28-mediatype:software%29) at the [Internet Archive](/source/Internet_Archive)

- [Works by Ernest Scott](https://librivox.org/author/18949) at [LibriVox](/source/LibriVox) (public domain audiobooks)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States France BnF data Netherlands Poland Israel People Trove Australia Deutsche Biographie Other IdRef Open Library SNAC Yale LUX

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