George Finlay For other uses , see George Finlay ( disambiguation ) . George Finlay ( 1799 - 1875 ) , historian , of Scottish descent , was born at Faversham , Kent , where his father , an officer in the army , was inspector of government powder mills . Intended for the law , he was educated at the University of Glasgow , the University of Göttingen , and the University of Edinburgh , but becoming an enthusiast in the cause of Greece , he joined Byron in the war of independence , and thereafter bought a property near Athens , where he settled and busied himself with schemes for the improvement of the country , which met with little success . His History of Greece , produced in sections between 1843 and 1861 , did not at first receive the recognition which its merits deserved , but it has since been given by students in all countries , and specially in Germany , a place among works of permanent value , alike for its literary style and the depth and insight of its historical views . It was re-issued in 1877 as A History of Greece from the Roman Conquest to the Present Time ( 146 B.C.E. to 1864 ) .  This article about a British historian or genealogist is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . This article incorporates public domain text from : Cousin , John William ( 1910 ) . A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature . London , J.M. Dent & sons ; New York , E.P. Dutton . Categories : British historian stubs | A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature | 1799 births | 1875 deaths | Natives of Kent | English historians 