Nigel Tranter
| Nigel Tranter | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 November 1909 |
| Died | 9 January 2000 (aged 90) |
| Pen name | Nye Tredgold |
| Occupation | writer |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Period | 1935 – 2007 (published posthumously) |
| Genre | Historical fiction Adventure Westerns Children's |
| Subject |
Scottish history Architecture Travel (Scotland) |
Nigel Tranter OBE (23 November 1909 – 9 January 2000) was a Scottish author. He was a prolific author of architectural and history books about castles, and also of deeply researched historical novels that cover centuries of Scottish history.
Nigel Tranter was born in Glasgow and educated at George Heriot's School in Edinburgh. He trained as an accountant and worked in Scottish National Insurance Company, founded by his uncle. In 1933, he married May Jean Campbell Grieve and had two children, Frances May and Philip. He joined the Royal Artillery and served in East Anglia in the Second World War.
From childhood onwards, Tranter took a great interest in castles and their associated history. As a result, in 1935, at age 25, he published his first book, The Fortalices and Early Mansions of Southern Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, he wrote his first novel, In Our Arms Our Fortune, which was rejected by the publishers. However, Trespass soon followed and was accepted by The Moray Press. Unfortunately, they went bankrupt soon after its publication in 1937, and he didn't receive any payment. Over the next few years, he wrote several more novels in the same vein: light-hearted romantic adventures about imaginary characters. These had varied settings, from modern-day Europe to historical Scotland. Tranter also wrote several westerns under the pseudonym Nye Tredgold to provide additional income for his family, and a dozen children's books -adventure stories aimed at 8–10-year olds.
War service did not stop Tranter writing, and a number of novels were published during the war years, some inspired by his own experiences.
Between 1962 and 1971 Tranter published the landmark series The Fortified House in Scotland (in five volumes). This attempted to cover the history and structure of every primarily domestic castle in Scotland, 663 buildings in all. A small number of non-domestic buildings associated with priories, churches, communal defence etc. etc. were also included. Highly regarded at the time, it is still read by those who have an interest in this specialist area.
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