St Cyprian’s School – Eastbourne

L C V WILKES MUM WILKES OLD BOYS WILKES FAMILY ORWELL CORRESPONDENCE

Lewis Chitty Vaughan Wilkes (1869-1947) Lewis was the founder of St Cyprians School, which with his wife Cicely he made into an extremely successful institution. He was an excellent teacher and coach and led his pupils on to academic distinction. Lewis was seen by the boys of the school as a less significant background figure to his dynamic and energetic wife. In Old Boy’s accounts, Henry Longhurst referred to him as “The mildest of men”, Gavin Maxwell wrote “He spoke little, was inclined to mumble, and was said to spend most of his time playing golf “ and Walter Christie described him as “A shy character, non-aggressive by implication. If he had to take a cane to a boy it was usually a token performance”. However he was ultimately in charge and worked unstintingly behind the scenes The impression he gave of reserve and coldness masked an extreme sensitivity resulting from an unhappy childhood caused by a harsh father and the death of his mother in his early teens. Lewis was born at Stowmarket, the son of Rev. Alpheus Wilkes, a very low church evangelical clergyman of a most austere and uncompromising sort who brought up his sons in an environment where few pleasures were allowed. In contrast, his much loved mother Mary “Deryn” (Davies) was imaginative, enthusiastic, extremely artistic and a fine musician and must have tried to bring as much light as she could. However she suffered a long illness and died when Lewis was fifteen, leaving him traumatised. His grandfather Henry Davies was a celebrated journalist, librarian and bookseller in Cheltenham, who being a passionate Welshman cherished and promulgated the Welsh language and led Eisteddfods with poetry in English and Welsh and music. His other grandfather William Wilks was an architect and builder in Leeds, who ran a business manufacturing garden ornaments that are still sought after. Lewis was educated at The Perse School in Cambridge. It is unlikely that the impoverished clergyman could have afforded the fees, and so his place may have been attained either through scholarship, or by the generosity of some benefactor. Lewis achieved a scholarship to Hertford College Oxford and was awarded a degree in Classical Mods. After another year’s study he took a degree in Classics in 1892. He then taught at University crammers and later at a Preparatory School at Meads Eastbourne. It was there that he met Cicely Ellen Philadelphia Comyn (1875-1967). They were married in 1899 and had a family of five children. They also created St Cyprian’s School and Lewis was headmaster until the 1930’s when he retired through nervous exhaustion and handed over to his son in law. Lewis died in a nursing home at Virginia Water in 1947. Lewis was a methodical and very successful teacher coaching the duller boys to the public school entrance examinations as well as the brighter boys for scholarships. He established good relationships with masters at public schools and had an eye for picking the right school for his pupils – suggesting Eton rather than Wellington for Cyril Connolly, and arranging Harrow for the future General Sir Lashmer Whistler. He was exceptional in taking the trouble to escort his candidates to the schools for their scholarship and other exams and followed their careers with interest. As an intelligent man, he was inclined to some absent-mindedness and is said, for example, to have been oblivious when pupils took food off his plate at dinner. He had been forced, as a left-hander, to write with his right-hand and this, together with his traumatic upbringing, is said to have contributed to a stammer that made public speaking an ordeal for him. The annual speech day was a particular trial and he sought help from a speech therapist who is said to have been the man who treated King George VI. This would have been Lionel Logue whose work was featured in “The King’s Speech”. Family and staff recall Lewis being put though his exercises by his wife in preparation for Speech Day like a boxer being prepared for a fight. Lewis excelled at many sports – he rowed for his college and played hockey for the county. He was first class shot and an excellent golfer. In 1911 he was captain of the Royal Eastbourne Golf Clubs, and over the years won many trophies at the club. In 1928 he was a member of a team of veteran golfers lead by J W Beaumont Pease who took part in a series of tournaments in the USA. Lewis reacted to his upbringing by becoming profoundly agnostic, but his brother Paget Wilkes became legendary as a dynamic missionary in Japan. His sister Mary, who later founded Christian groups in Switzerland was married the the soldier and Oxford historian Philip Richardson Dunn Pattison L C V Wilkes “Latin Unseens for the Army” 1895 Henry Longhurst “My Life and Soft Times” 1971 Gavin Maxwell “The House of Elrig” 1965 W H J Christie “St Cyprians Days” Blackwoods Magazine May 1971 M W Dunn Pattison “Ablaze for God - The Life Story of Paget Wilkes” 1936 Biographical Research by Ancestor United Last Updated September 2011 © Tim Tomlinson. All Rights Reserved