Charles William Dyson Perrins

FRAS FRAS may refer to: * Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger ...

(25 May 1864 – 29 January 1958) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

businessman,

bibliophile Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

and philanthropist. He was born in

Claines Claines is a small village just to the north of Worcester, England, on the east bank of the River Severn. Claines is situated in the heart of Worcestershire on the A449 between Worcester and Kidderminster. It has a church which dates from the 10t ...

, near

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

, the son of James Dyson Perrins, the owner of the

Lea & Perrins Lea & Perrins (L&P) is a United Kingdom-based subsidiary of Kraft Heinz, originating in Worcester, England where it continues to operate. It is best known as the maker of Lea & Perrins brand of Worcestershire sauce, which was first sold in 183 ...

Worcestershire sauce factory and the grandson of William Perrins, co-originator of the Lea & Perrins secret recipe.

Biography

He was educated at Charterhouse School and

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...

, and then served in the

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fus ...

. After the death of his father, he took over management of Lea & Perrins. His father had also been a director of Royal Worcester Porcelain Factory, and Charles followed him, becoming a director in 1891. He became chairman in 1901, and supported the factory financially. He bought the company outright in 1934 and ensured its continuity from his own fortune, until it could be taken public in 1954. In 1927, he purchased the Royal Worcester Porcelain Factory's historic ceramics collection for a price above market value, to assist the firm's cashflow. In 1946, he established the Perrins Trust to unite the factory museum collection and his own private holdings of Royal Worcester and ensure their survival. After his death, his widow established the "Dyson Perrins Museum" at the factory site to house the collection. It is now called "The

Museum of Royal Worcester The Museum of Royal Worcester (formerly ''Worcester Porcelain Museum'' and ''Dyson Perrins Museum'') is a ceramics museum located in the Royal Worcester porcelain factory's former site in Worcester, England. Overview The museum houses the wo ...

" (previously "Worcester Porcelain Museum"). Perrins lived in

Malvern Malvern or Malverne may refer to: Places Australia * Malvern, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide * Malvern, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne * City of Malvern, a former local government area near Melbourne * Electoral district of Malvern, an e ...

for most of his life and amongst his many charitable deeds in

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

was the endowment of

Dyson Perrins Church of England Academy Dyson Perrins CofE Academy is a co-educational secondary school in Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is named after its benefactor Charles William Dyson Perrins, heir to the Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce company. It is located near Mal ...

in Malvern. He served as

Mayor of Worcester The Mayor of Worcester is the civic head of Worcester City Council. Every May one of the city Councillors is elected to serve as Mayor for a year. Another is elected as Deputy Mayor. The Mayor chairs meetings of the Full Council, represents the c ...

for 1897–98 and as

High Sheriff of Worcestershire This is a list of sheriffs and since 1998 high sheriffs of Worcestershire. The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of t ...

for 1899–1900. He was a major benefactor of the

Royal Grammar School, Worcester The Royal Grammar School Worcester (also known as RGS Worcester or RGSW) is an eleven-eighteen mixed, independent day school and sixth form in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. Founded before 1291, it is one of the oldest British independent d ...

, and endowed new buildings including Perrins Hall (1914) named after his father, an old boy. The school organ is in this building and is played regularly at assemblies. He became a

Six Master The Royal Grammar School Worcester (also known as RGS Worcester or RGSW) is an eleven-eighteen mixed, independent day school and sixth form in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. Founded before 1291, it is one of the oldest British independent d ...

and chairman of the governors of that school until the 1950s. His portrait by A. Hacker c. 1907 hangs in the hall. In Oxford, he funded the building of the

Dyson Perrins Laboratory The Dyson Perrins Laboratory is in the science area of the University of Oxford and was the main centre for research into organic chemistry of the University from its foundation in 1916 until its closure as a research laboratory in 2003. Until 2 ...

, which was the main centre for research into organic chemistry at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

from its foundation in 1916 until its retirement as a laboratory in 2003. He received an honorary DCL from Oxford University. During Perrins's life he amassed one of the most important book collections in the world, particularly strong in medieval

illuminated manuscripts An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...

and printed ballads. To help finance and re-establish the Royal Worcester factory after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he decided to sell his important collection of early printed books, and they were mostly dispersed in a series of sales at

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

in London in 1946 and 1947. His illuminated manuscripts and other remaining printed books were sold after his death in three major auction sales in 1958 to 1960. A record total for a single collection of £1,100,000 was raised by these sales. Items once owned by C. W. Dyson Perrins now form the basis of many other prominent collections, such as the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection now in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

. Many other items from his collection were given or bequeathed by him to public institutions such as the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...

, the Ashmolean Museum,

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

library, and the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

. For example, his Mughal manuscript the Emperor Akbar's ''Khamsa of Nizami'' is now in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

and ''Palestrina'' by J. M. W. Turner is in the

Family

Perrins married: # Catherine Christina Gregory at

St Giles' Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 1 ...

, Edinburgh in October 1889. They had five children. Catherine died at Davenham, the family home, on 31 January 1922, and was buried at the Municipal cemetery, Great Malvern. # Florence Winifred Midwood Milne (known as Frieda) at St John, Chelsea on 6 September 1923. She died on 28 December 1968. Charles William Dyson Perrins died at Davenham on 29 January 1958, and was buried at Great Malvern.

References

Sources

External links

The Museum of Worcester Porcelain

at the

Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa. The Getty Center is located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles and fe ...

Claines, Birthplace of Dyson Perrins
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dyson Perrins, Charles William 1864 births 1958 deaths People from Malvern, Worcestershire People educated at Charterhouse School Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford English businesspeople English philanthropists English book and manuscript collectors Mayors of places in Worcestershire English art collectors High Sheriffs of Worcestershire History of Worcester, England