McCrindle was the son of John McCrindle and was born near
Maybole, Ayrshire and went to the
University of Edinburgh where he received the Stratton Gold Medal in 1853. He graduated BA in 1854 and MA in 1855 and taught for a while in Edinburgh schools before moving to India in 1859 to become Principal of the Doveton College in Calcutta. He became a professor at Patna College and later at Krishnagar College. He became the first principal of Patna College from 1867 and retired in 1880. He founded a school for girls in Patna. He wrote a number of works (first in the
Indian Antiquary and later as books) on ancient India as described in the works of
Ctesias,
Megasthenes and
Arrian; the
Periplus Maris Erythraei ("Coastal Cruise of the Red Sea");
Ptolemy's geography of India and the invasion of India by
Alexander the Great. ==References==