Persian Tales

David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer, a British Iranist and military and intelligence officer, belonged to the category of Western diplomats and political and military agents who, apart from their main work, contributed much to the study of the regions where duty took them.

Lorimer had a keen interest in the dialect and folklore of the region. He used to collect his material on dialects from elderly informants and would spend the evenings working with them. He collaborated with his wife, who helped make several typewritten drafts of the materials. Only part of this dialectal material found its way into print during Lorimer’s lifetime. The written materials, bequeathed to the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, have formed the basis for publications by the present authors and others.

Lorimer joined the Indian Army in 1896. From 1898 to 1903 he served with the Q.V.O. Corps of Guides, and was seconded with the Khyber Rifles during 1901-03. He entered the Indian Political Service in 1903, serving there until 1924. His posts included H.B.M’s Vice-Consul for Arabistan, present-day Khuzestan; Political Agent, Bahrain; H.M. Consul, Kerman and Persian Baluchistan, and ex-officio Assistant to the Political Resident, Persian Gulf; Assistant Political Agent, Chitral; Field Services with the Indian Expeditionary Force “D” in Mesopotamia, and Civil Governor, Amara; H. B. M. Consul, Kerman and Persian Baluchistan; Political Agent, Loralai, Baluchistan; and Political Agent, Gilgit. Lorimer retired from the Army in 1927. In subsequent years, recognition of his scholarly achievements included the Leverhulme Research Fellowship, Triennial Burton Memorial Medal from the Royal Asiatic Society, and an Honorary Fellowship, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was a member of the Royal Asiatic Society, the Royal Geographical Society and the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters.

Lorimer’s older brother, John Gordon Lorimer (1870–1914), also made a lasting contribution to area studies. He joined the Indian Civil Service and held posts in the Punjab and on the North-West Frontier before serving in the Gulf region.