Daphne Olivier (October 1889 – 14 July 1950) was the third daughter of the British politician Sydney Olivier, 1st Baron Olivier, and Margaret Cox. She was the sister of Margery (1886–1974), Brynhild (1887–1935) and Noël (1893–1969), and the first cousin of the actor

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

(1907–1989).The Peerage
/ref>Paul Delany. ''The Neo-Pagans - Friendship and Love in the Rupert Brooke Circle''. (1987 Macmillan London) p.230. She established the first

Rudolf Steiner school Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its educational style is holistic, intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical skil ...

in England.

Biography

Daphne Olivier studied medieval and modern languages at Newnham College, Cambridge and, together with her sisters Bryn and Noël, belonged to the social circle that gathered around

Rupert Brooke Rupert Chawner Brooke (3 August 1887 – 23 April 1915)The date of Brooke's death and burial under the Julian calendar that applied in Greece at the time was 10 April. The Julian calendar was 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. was an En ...

: a group that

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...

named the Neo-Pagans. Olivier was also a friend of

John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in ...

. Upon graduating in 1913, she became a teacher. Some years later, she developed an interest in the anthroposophical and educational work of Rudolf Steiner; according to

Owen Barfield Arthur Owen Barfield (9 November 1898 – 14 December 1997) was a British philosopher, author, poet, critic, and member of the Inklings. Life Barfield was born in London, to Elizabeth (née Shoults; 1860–1940) and Arthur Edward Barfield (1864 ...

, she possibly attended an educational conference that Steiner held in Stuttgart in 1922. That same year she met both Barfield and his close friend

Cecil Harwood Alfred Cecil Harwood *05.01.1898 London (UK) †22.12.1975 Forest Row Sussex was a lecturer, Waldorf teacher, writer, editor and anthroposophist. Cecil Harwood was the youngest of five children born into the household of a pastor. He attended sc ...

at a concert tour of the English Folk Dance Society, where she sang and played the fiddle. It was through her that they both became acquainted with anthroposophy. Olivier approached Steiner for support in starting a Waldorf School in England, gathered a group of three other women and, on being advised by Steiner to include also a male teacher, asked her friend Harwood to join. The school, called at the time "The New School" was founded in 1925 in South London. It later moved to Forest Row in

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

and was renamed Michael Hall.Alfred Cecil Harwood
/ref> She and Harwood were married on 14 August 1925, and subsequently had five children. Besides her work as a teacher, Daphne translated a number of Steiner's works into English. Harwood was a friend of

C.S. Lewis CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to: Job titles * Chief Secretary (Hong Kong) * Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces * Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public se ...

and Barfield, a fellow follower of Steiner. Lewis was a frequent visitor to the couple's home in London and became godfather to their son Laurence. She died in 1950 of cancer.

References

Bibliography

* (alternative title: ''Noble Savages. The Olivier Sisters: Four lives in seven fragments'') * Delany, Paul. ''The Neo-Pagans - Friendship and Love in the Rupert Brooke Circle.'' Macmillan. London. 1987. (hc) * ''C. S. Lewis, My Godfather: Letters, Photos and Recollections'' by Laurence Harwood, IVP Books 2007 * ''All My Road Before Me: The Diary of C. S. Lewis, 1922-1927'' by C. S. Lewis; edited by Walter Hooper, HarperCollins 1991 * ''A Good School: A History of Michael Hall'' by Joy Mansfield; edited by Brien Masters and Stephen Sheen, Blue Filter 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Olivier, Daphne 1889 births 1950 deaths Anthroposophists Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Daughters of barons Olivier family