CRAIK, GEORGE LILLIE (1798-1866), British man of letters, the son of a schoolmaster, was born at Kennoway, Fife shire. He studied at the university of St. Andrews with the inten tion of entering the church, but became the editor of a local news paper, and went to London in 1824 to devote himself to literature. In 1844 he published his History of Literature and Learning in England from the Norman Conquest to the Present Time, illus trated by extracts. Craik is best known for his abridged version of this work, The History of English Literature and the English Language which passed through several editions and for his Spenser and his Poetry (1845). In 1849 he obtained the chair of history and English literature at Queen's College, Belfast, a position which he held till his death.