Cyril Fox was born in Chippenham, Wiltshire, on 16 December 1882, the first son of Charles Frederick Fox, a bank official, and his wife, Henrietta Maria Paul. His family moved to the Isle of Wight when he was a boy and he was educated at Christ's Hospital and then in London (1895–8). Illness led to him leaving school at sixteen to take up market gardening in Worthing, Sussex. In Sussex he met a Cambridge bacteriologist, Louis Cobbett, who obtained for him a position as a clerk at the bovine tuberculosis research station in Stansted, Essex. This institution moved to Cambridge in 1912. After the war he returned to the research station as superintendent of its field laboratories, but post-war reorganisation made his future there uncertain, and at thirty-six he changed to archaeology as a career.
Fox gained entry to Magdalene College, Cambridge, in 1919, as a part-time student of archaeology, at first reading for the English tripos, and was much encouraged by Professor H. M. Chadwick, who had him transferred to work for a PhD. In 1923 his thesis was published as The Archaeology of the Cambridge Region. This was a landmark in archaeological thinking, and gave Fox an immediate standing among scholars. He was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in the same year, and was appointed to an assistantship in the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Cambridge. He was elected to the Kingsley Bye Fellowship at Magdalene in 1924.
In 1924 he was nominated keeper of the National Museum of Ireland, but the electors' choice was not confirmed at a higher level and instead a German archaeologist, Walter Bremer, was appointed. Fox then applied for the keepership of archaeology at the National Museum of Wales. In 1926, he became director, and guided the affairs of the National Museum of Wales until his retirement in 1948. Fox's time as director saw great developments and he succeeded in unifying the regional and local museums of the principality by affiliation to the National Museum.
Fox served with distinction on public bodies such as the royal commissions on ancient and historical monuments in Wales and in England, and on the Ancient Monuments Board of the Ministry of Works. He also continued his field studies and publishing works.
1934 - president of the Museums Association.
1935 - knighted for his services to museums.
1940 - elected fellow of the British Academy.
1944-1949 - served as president of the Society of Antiquaries of London was awarded the society's gold medal in 1952.
1947 - an honorary DLitt of Wales.
1952 - an honorary fellow of Magdalene.
On 6 May 1916 Fox married Olive, daughter of Arthur Congreve-Pridgeon, vicar of Steyning in Sussex. She was drowned off the Gower peninsula in 1932. They had two daughters, Helen Felicity, an art critic, and Penelope Eames, the author of a work on medieval furniture (1977).
On 6 July 1933 he married his second wife, Aileen Mary Henderson, an active archaeologist, daughter of Walter Scott Henderson, solicitor, of Surrey. They worked together in the field. He retired to Exeter, where she held a position of university lecturer in archaeology. They had three sons.
Fox died at the Cranford Nursing Home, Cranford Avenue, Exmouth, Devon, on 15 January 1967.
Photographers
Stearn and Sons took rowing photographs until 1970 when they joined with Eaden Lilley who then took over taking these photos. Jet Photographic then took up the work where Eaden Lilley left off. Please contact the proprietor is you need a copy of any photograph (https://jetphotographic.com)
Stephen King, born on 11 September 1923 in London. Son of Ernest William King and Janet Paterson Stathers. Educated at St Paul's School. Was admitted pensioner January 1946.
Terms kept: Lent 1946, Easter 1946, Michaelmas 1946, Lent 1947 and Easter 1947. Read Law and was awarded BA in June 1947.
A collection of his rowing photographs was donated to the College by his widow in 2022.
Edward Frederic Benson (known as Fred) was born at Wellington College where his father was the Headmaster.
He was the third son of Edward White Benson (1829–1896), Headmaster of Wellington College and subsequently archbishop of Canterbury, and his wife, Mary Sidgwick (1841–1918).
He was a younger brother of A. C. Benson (Master of Magdalene College, 1915-1925), Mary Eleanor Benson (1863–1890), and Margaret Benson (1865–1916), and an elder brother of Robert Hugh Benson (1871–1914).
He was educated at Temple Grove School, Sheen, at Marlborough College, and at King's College, Cambridge, where he was exhibitioner (1888) and scholar (1890), and secured first classes in both parts of the classical tripos (1890, 1891).
He worked in Athens for the British School of Archaeology (1892–5) and in Egypt for the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies (1895).
From 1895 to 1918 he lived in London and devoted himself to writing. From 1918 he lived for the greater part of each year at Lamb House, Rye, Sussex, which had been the home of Henry James.
His first novel, Dodo, was published in 1893 and he went on to published at least ninety-three books, excluding collaborations. His writings fall into three groups: novels of social satire, reminiscences, and horror stories.
Benson never married and lived alone in Rye. He was mayor of Rye from 1934 to 1937 and a JP. He was elected an Honorary Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, in 1938 and was appointed OBE. He died in University College Hospital, London, on 29 February 1940, and was buried in the Rye cemetery after a funeral conducted by the Bishop of Chichester.
The E. F. Benson Society was founded in London in 1984.
Born in Liverpool and was the son of the Robert Alexander Bickersteth and Ellen Constance Wilson, of Borwick Lodge, Outgate, Ambleside. Educated at Eton. Admitted as a pensioner at Magdalene College on 7 October 1924. His tutor was A. S. Ramsey. MA 1931.
After leaving Magdalene he trained at Wells Theological College.
1928 deacon
1929 priest
1928-1932 his first curacy was at Christ Church, Waterloo, Liverpool.
22 Nov 1931 he was made curate of Christ Church, Whitehaven with his primary responsibility being St Peters, Kells.
In 1933 he was defrocked for "immoral conduct".
He visited New York with his brother. He is shown, on the electoral register, as living in Paddington in London in the late 1930s.
He died in 1945.
Made an Honorary Fellow of Magdalene College in 1932.
He visited the College for his admission but continued ill health prevented him from returning. He only returned once and that was as a convalescent during the Long Vacation.
See also:
Archives, F/RK and D/1/7
College Magazine vol. 74 (1936) pp. 208-209
College Magzine vol. 37 (1992-93) pp. 19-24 (J. D. Lewins)
College Magazine vol. 41 (1996-97) p. 53 (J. D. Lewins, ‘Two unpublished letters about his Honorary Fellowship’)
Occasional Paper No.9, 1995 (Lewins, esp pp 25-26 on Strang’s portraits)
Occasional Paper No. 19, 1998 (T. Pinney)
Occasional Paper No. 25
Occasional Paper No. 26 2001 (Lewins)
Born at 19 Waverley Road, Liverpool. Attended Liverpool High School from the age of 13 to 16. In 1896 she entered Froebel College in Birmingham run by Miss Bishop and Miss Last for Kindergarden training. In 1898 she and her family spent the summer holidays at Ballaigner in the Jura Mountains and met Lady Burne-Jones (Aunt of Rudyard Kipling). She was later asked by Lady Burne-Jones to spend a fortnight with her at North End House, Rottindean looking after Angela and Denis who were staying with her whilst their parents were away.
She met Mrs Kipling whilst staying with Lady Burne-Jones. Mrs Carrie Kipling asked her to look after her children, Elsie and John (aged 5 and 3) whilst their nurse as on holiday for a month. She was then asked to accompany the family to South Africa in December 1900.
After their return she worked partly for herself (embroidery) and travelled in the United States and Canada. She then spent 10 years working for Mr (later Sir) Robert Hudson and his daughter Dorothy in Westminster. This ended once Dorothy turned 21. Sylvia moved to the house she had bought in Hampstead Garden Suburbs. She lived on money she earned embroidering children's clothes, an annuity left by Sir Robert, and an allowance from her mother.
In 1916 she acted as Matron of a rest home for retired Army sisters and nurses near Monte Carlo.
Walter Henry Whitear was a tea merchant, a writer for the Chiswick Times, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Honorary Secretary of the Hogarth House Preservation Committee.
Derek Pepys Whiteley was born in 1906, the son of Gerard Tarver Whiteley and the Hon. Amy Theresa Pepys. He was educated at Sherborne and King's College, and was called to the Bar from the Middle Temple in 1931. He became senior legal assistant in the Treasury Solicitor's Department, retiring in 1957; and from 1959 to 1970 was Assistant Pepys Librarian. An expert on Victorian art history, he wrote a life of George du Maurier, and articles for DNB.