WILLIAM RICHARD MORFILL AS THE FIRST UKRAINIAN STUDIES SCHOLAR IN THE ANGLOPHONE WORLD

The article covers the activities of Professor William Richard Morfill (1834–1909) from the University of Oxford. The general characteristics of Morfill is presented. The emphasis is laid upon the interest Morfill displayed towards Ukrainian history and literature, the Ukrainian writers, particularly Taras Shevhenko. The academic cooperation between Morfill and Slavonic world is discussed too. On the basis of Morfill’s writings the conclusion has been made that the researcher was the first British Ukrainian Studies scholar. Taking into consideration rather scanty knowledge about Slavs in the United ingdom in the Morfill epoch the researcher has greatly contributed to disseminating information on Ukrainian culture and Ukrainians as a separate nation in the Anglophone world.