Researching William Neilson

Neilson was born in Doune, Scotland and he emigrated to the United States in 1895, being naturalised 3 August 1905. He taught at Bryn Mawr College from 1898 to 1900, Harvard from 1900 to 1904, Columbia from 1904 to 1906, and Harvard again from 1906 to 1917.Neilson was author of a number of critical works on William Shakespeare, Robert Burns and the Elizabethan theatre, editor of the Cambridge and Tudor editions of Shakespeare (1906, 1911) and editor of Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition (1934). Less known is his translation of the famous late 14th century Middle English alliterative chivalric romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

He was born in Perth, Lanark County, Canada West and was educated at McGill College, where he studied medicine. In 1881, Nielson moved to Winnipeg and lectured on anatomy at the Manitoba Medical School. He was named medical health officer for Winnipeg in 1883.

Nielson died in Winnipeg at the age of 49 and was buried in Perth.

Born in Liverpool, England, Neilson moved to New Zealand as a young man. He had his best cricket performances in the match against Otago in 1876–77, when he scored 57 not out in the second innings batting at number nine, and then took 5 for 19 to wrap up the Otago innings and the match.

In 1877–78 Neilson organised and captained Canterbury's first trip to the North Island, when they dismissed Auckland for 13 at the Auckland Domain. A few weeks later he captained Canterbury to victory over the touring Australians, the Australians' only loss of the tour. He also led the Canterbury team that toured Tasmania and Victoria in 1878–79.

A popular figure in Canterbury, he was the best amateur billiards player in New Zealand, a fine games player and horse rider, and a prominent owner of racehorses. He died on 2 May 1880 after a long illness.