William Logan (1841–1914) was a Scottish officer of the Madras Civil Service under the British Government. Before his appointment as Collector of Malabar, he had served in the area for about twenty years in the capacity of Magistrate and Judge. He was conversant in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. He is remembered for his 1887 guide to the Malabar District, popularly known as the Malabar Manual. Early life William logan was born on 17 May 1841 at Ferney Castle, near Reston - Berwickshire, Scotland. His father was David Logan, an agriculturist and Mother was Elizabeth Hasti. He received his primary education at the Musselberg School near Edinburgh. William, who excelled in his studies, won the Duke's Medal for the most intelligent student. He later joined the University of Edinburgh and appeared for the Madras Civil Service Examination. He also belonged to a peasant family, breaking the monopoly of the rich and aristocratic families that had hitherto existed in the civil service. In December 1872 he married Anne Selby Burrell Wallace, daughter of a banker. She moved to Thalassery along with Logan. Their first child Mary Ord was born in Thalassery in 1873. They later had a son, William Malcolm, in Kozhikode. Elizabeth Helen was born in Scotland in 1877 and her youngest daughter in 1880. In India He came to India in 1862 to serve in the Madras Civil Service. After passing the vernacular examinations in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, he was first appointed Assistant Collector and Joint Magistrate in Arcot District and later Sub-Collector in North Malabar (1867) and Joint Magistrate. He returned home in 1872 and returned a year later. This time in Thalassery he was appointed as the Acting District Sessions Judge of North Malabar and as the Collector of Malabar. The following year he was appointed Acting District Sessions Judge of South Malabar. With his appointment as the District Judge of South Malabar, he studied the agricultural problems of the Mappila taluks and the immigration problem created by the colonial rule. In 1875 he became the Malabar Collector. At the same time he also served as the District Magistrate. It was during this time that he began to take a special interest in the popular affairs of the land. A lengthy report has been prepared after a detailed study on the current Kana-Janma etiquette in Mappilathaluk, Malabar. (1882) This is known as the Malabar Tenancy Report. In