Christopher Windley Lonsdale (1886 in Thornthwaite,

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

– 1952 at

Parksville, British Columbia Parksville is a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2021 Census, Parksville's population was 13,642, representing a 9.5% increase over the 2016 Census. Parksville is well known for its large, sandy beaches at Park ...

, on

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

), was the founder and first headmaster of

Shawnigan Lake School Shawnigan Lake School is a co-educational independent boarding school located on Vancouver Island in Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia, Canada. It was founded by Englishman Christopher Windley "C. W." Lonsdale in 1916, and was partly modelled afte ...

Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Shawnigan Lake is the name of a village on British Columbia's Vancouver Island. The name Shawnigan is an adaptation of the Hul'qumi'num name Showe'luqun, for the lake and the village. It is part of Electoral Area B in the Cowichan Valley Regi ...

. He was the son of the Reverend Henry Lonsdale (d. 1926), Vicar of

Upperby Upperby is a suburb of Carlisle, in the City of Carlisle district, in the English county of Cumbria. The ward population taken at the 2011 census was 5,476. In 1870-72 the township/ chapelry had a population of 595. Location It is a few mi ...

, who was a

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 ...

of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, and his wife, Jane, only daughter of William Windley of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. Lonsdale was born in the northern English county of

, since incorporated within

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

, and was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

in the London borough of Westminster from May 1899 to July 1902. He attended

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 ...

but did not obtain a degree. In his time in

, he played for a soccer team. Lonsdale immigrated to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

from

in 1907.x Two years later, having worked at a variety of jobs on the lower mainland of British Columbia and on northern

, he settled in

Duncan Duncan may refer to: People * Duncan (given name), various people * Duncan (surname), various people * Clan Duncan * Justice Duncan (disambiguation) Places * Duncan Creek (disambiguation) * Duncan River (disambiguation) * Duncan Lake (d ...

, in

Cowichan Valley The Cowichan Valley is a region around the Cowichan River, Cowichan Bay and Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. There is some debate as to the origin of the name Cowichan, which many believe to be an anglicized form ...

, where for a time, he operated a dairy business. In 1916, seeing an opportunity in the lack of an English-style boys' preparatory school, he founded

, partially modelling it on

, his own English public school. Eventually, an ageing Lonsdale was forced into retirement, which Gossage states was his undoing: "It was a mutually painful moment and one which Christopher Lonsdale found impossible to accept. He died a broken and disconsolate man two months after." His role is formally commemorated at Shawnigan annually by Founder's Day, which was traditionally centred on a service in the School's Chapel conducted by the School's Anglican chaplain, with a visiting keynote speaker drawn from the School's alumni in place of a sermon. He lies buried in the French Creek Cemetery in Parksville, British Columbia.

References

*''Rough Diamond: An Oral History of Shawnigan Lake School'' () by Jay Connolly. *''The Handbook of Canadian Boarding Schools'', by Lafortune, Sylvie, Thomson, Ashley, p. 115 *''

Alumni Cantabrigienses ''Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge, from the Earliest Times to 1900'' is a biographical register of former members of the University of Cambridge whic ...

'' (see his father's entry and those for his brothers, The Revs. Harold Robert Lonsdale . 1909and William Henry Mackenzie Lonsdale . 1946 *''A Question of Privilege: Canada's Independent Schools'' (1977), by Carolyn Gossage, p. 244-246. *''Growing Up British in British Columbia: Boys in Private School'' (UBC press, 1984), by Jean Barman. *''The Handbook of Canadian Boarding Schools'' (1999), By Lafortune, Sylvie, Thomson, Ashley, 115. *''Record of Old Westminsters'', D.C. Simpson and L.E. Tanner compilers, vol. 1, p. 591
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lonsdale, Christopher English emigrants to Canada Canadian educators 1952 deaths 1886 births People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Durham University People from Cumberland