Cecil William Davidge (28 March 1863 – 16 January 1936) was a professor of English, author and

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. Davidge was the father of the barrister and academic

Cecil Vere Davidge Cecil Vere Davidge of Little Houghton House DL (14 February 1901 – 27 January 1981) was a British lawyer and academic, who served as a Fellow and bursar of Keble College, Oxford, and as High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. Life Davidge w ...

and grandfather of

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

rower

Christopher Davidge Christopher Guy Vere Davidge, of Little Houghton House, OBE DL (5 November 1929 – 22 December 2014) was a British rower who competed in the Summer Olympics three times in 1952, 1956 and 1960 and won the Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta ...

Early life

Davidge was born on 28 March 1863 the only son of Frederick William Davidge and his wife, Harriet Julia Frances Ponsonby, daughter of the

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

the Hon. ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby . He was educated at

Hurstpierpoint College (''Blessed are the pure in heart'') , established = , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent School , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Dominic Mo ...

, followed by

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

where he received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in English, and

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

where he received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in English.

Academic career

Following university Davidge headed the United Society Partners in the Gospel mission to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

from 1898 until 1907 and became a master at the SPG School of Kobe. Following the SPG mission in 1907 he entered the service of the Imperial Japanese Government as Professor of English, University College of Commerce,

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

, he remained in that position until 1930. During his period as Professor of English, he tutored

Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

, the future Emperor Shōwa. He was awarded the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

, 4th Class; the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

, 4th Class, until he was promoted to the rank of Chokunin.

Masonic career

As well as his academic work, Davidge was also the founder and Master (late Past Master) of the Lodge Albion in the Far East and a PDGW (Grand Warden) of the District Grand Lodge of Japan.

Literary work

During his time in Japan, Davidge wrote the book ''Practical Hints for Craftsmen'', published in 1910 and republished in 2014 as a book of Historical Interest. Following his retirement from Japan in 1930 he retired to Kingsthorpe,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

and helped with the Northamptonshire Record Society.

Family

Davidge, Cecil Vere (1901-1981) - 1st IV rowing 1919

In 1900 in

, Japan, Davidge married Elsie Hamer, daughter of Henry Hamer of Hamer Hall,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

. The Hamers were an old Lancashire family who settled at Hamer Hall in the 14th century. The couple had three children together: *

(14 February 1901 – 27 January 1981) * Cuthbert Roy Davidge * Beryl Davidge Davidge's wife, Elsie died in 1927 in a car accident in Kobe where the taxi she was in was driven off a cliff.

References

External links

Who's Who Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidge, Cecil William 1863 births 1936 deaths People educated at Hurstpierpoint College Alumni of University College London People from London British writers British academics British expatriates in Japan Alumni of Hatfield College, Durham Durham University Boat Club rowers