Arthur Herman Gilkes MA, (1849 – 13 September 1922) was a noted educationalist,

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, and

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

, and was Master of

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2–19 Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school for Single-sex education, boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a Public school (United Kingdom), public school, it began as the Col ...

from 1885 to 1914. His final years were spent as Vicar of

St Mary Magdalen's Church, Oxford St Mary Magdalen is a Church of England parish church in Magdalen Street, Oxford, England, dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene. It is one of the city's ancient parish churches and is a Grade I listed building. Worship Worship at St Mar ...

Early life

Gilkes was born in

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster i ...

, a son of William Gilkes, a chemist. He was educated at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into ...

and went on to Christ Church, Oxford, from where he received a

First Class Honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

degree in Literae Humaniores in 1872, having achieved a first class in Mods in 1870. He was promoted to MA in 1885. On 19 May 1892 Gilkes married Millicent Mary Clarke, a daughter of Bennett Michell Clarke, and the sister of three brothers who attended

. They had four sons, all of whom went to Dulwich College,Ormiston, T. L., (1926), ''Dulwich College Register'',page 53, (J J Keliher & Co Ltd: London) and one daughter.''Who Was Who 1916–1928'', (A&C Black: London) One of his sons, Christopher, would later become Master of Dulwich College. Another son,

Humphrey Humphrey is both a masculine given name and a surname. An earlier form, not attested since Medieval times, was Hunfrid. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Medieval period :''Ordered chronologically'' *Hunfrid of P ...

, became a doctor and was one of four soldiers to be awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

on four occasions in the First World War.

Career

Having completed his education he went on to become Assistant Master from 1873 to 1885 at

. From Shrewsbury he left for London to become the Master of Dulwich College from 1885 to 1914. The work he did at Dulwich College raised its reputation considerably, and he did this with only modest financial resources. During his tenure Dulwich became renowned for a number of areas notably including engineering and science. It was also A H Gilkes who first accepted

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

scholars from elementary schools.Richard Aldrich and Peter Gordon, (1989), ''Dictionary of British Educationists'', page 94, (Routledge: London) His connections to Dulwich went beyond those of an administrator and a teacher, for he also had extensive family ties with the school. All four of his sons attended, as did his three brothers-in-law, three nephews and his first cousin. Following his retirement from Dulwich College in 1914 he became ordained in 1915 and acted as the Curate of St James Church,

Bermondsey Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham ...

for a year. He was also Vicar of

from 1917.

Publications

*1880: ''School Lectures on Electra and Macbeth''. London: Longmans, Green *1887: ''Boys and Masters'' (novel) *1894: ''The Thing that Hath Been''. London: Longmans, Green (novel) *1897: ''Kallistratus''. London: Longmans, Green (novel) *1903: ''The New Revolution''. London: Longmans, Green *1904: ''A Dialogue''. London: Longmans, Green (in form of a conversation about Socrates between four bishops and Mr. Smith) *1905: ''A Day at Dulwich'' London: Longmans, Green *1916 ''Four Sons''. Dulwich: G. A. Symcox (novel)

Early life

Career

Publications

References

Further reading