Harold George Michael Clarke (29 September 1898 – 19 August 1978) was an Anglican

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

and educator in the 20th century.

Education

Clarke was educated at

St Paul's School, London (''By Faith and By Learning'') , established = , closed = , type = Independent school Public school , religion = Church of England , president = , h ...

. ''Who Was Who 1897–2007''. London, A & C Black, 2007 His education was interrupted by the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and he served with the 2nd Field Company Royal Engineers in France during 1918. After the war he went up to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, where he took a first class in 1919 in the mathematics

tripos At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...

part i, and a second class in 1921 in the history tripos part ii.

Teaching career

He was an Assistant Master at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

from 1921 to 1932, when he was appointed

Headmaster A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

Rossall School Rossall School is a public school (English independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania ...

, serving for five years until 1937. In 1937 he became Headmaster of

Repton School Repton School is a 13–18 co-educational, independent, day and boarding school in the English public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, England. Sir John Port of Etwall, on his death in 1557, left funds to create a grammar school whi ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. He led the school during one of the most difficult periods of its history, when mounting debts and falling numbers, together with the effects of the war, led to questions as to the continuing viability of the institution. Clarke was obliged to close houses and departments within the school during this period, successfully keeping it open. Of his six immediate predecessors as Headmaster, five went on to very senior roles in the Church of England - a

Dean of Winchester The Dean of Winchester is the head of the Chapter of Winchester Cathedral in the city of Winchester, England, in the Diocese of Winchester. Appointment is by the Crown. The first incumbent was the last Prior, William Kingsmill, Catherine Ogl ...

Cathedral, a

Dean of York Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles ...

Minster, a

Bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his elect ...

, and two Archbishops of Canterbury ( William Temple and

Geoffrey Fisher Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, (5 May 1887 – 15 September 1972) was an English Anglican priest, and 99th Archbishop of Canterbury, serving from 1945 to 1961. From a long line of parish priests, Fisher was educated at Marlb ...

). In the same pattern, Clarke left the school in 1943 to pursue an ecclesiastical career.

Church career

Clarke was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in 1938, whilst at Repton, and became

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Holy Trinity, St Marylebone in 1945. In 1951 he became Provost of Birmingham Cathedral, and held the post for over a decade, retiring in 1962.

Private life

Clarke was a prominent Freemason, under the

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic grand lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron ...

. He held multiple lodge memberships, including the prestigious Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge No 4 (which predates even the first Grand Lodge of 1717), and the Royal Alpha Lodge No 16, a private lodge of the Grand Master. He rose to prominence in Birmingham Freemasonry, being appointed

Provincial Grand Master Provincial Grand Master (abbreviated PGM or PrGM), sometimes called District Grand Master or Metropolitan Grand Master, is a fraternal office held by the head of a Provincial Grand Lodge, who is directly appointed by the organisation's Grand Master ...

of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire. He was installed in December 1953 by

Roger Lumley, 11th Earl of Scarbrough Lawrence Roger Lumley, 11th Earl of Scarbrough, (27 July 1896 – 29 June 1969) was a British Conservative politician and British Army general. Background Lumley was the son of Brigadier General Osbert Lumley (1857-1923), youngest child and so ...

, Grand Master. He held the position until 1965. He was also a very prominent member of the

Holy Royal Arch The Royal Arch is a degree of Freemasonry. The Royal Arch is present in all main masonic systems, though in some it is worked as part of Craft ('mainstream') Freemasonry, and in others in an appendant ('additional') order. Royal Arch Masons meet ...

, holding national office as the Third Grand Principal, one of three conjoint national leaders.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Michael 1935 births Headmasters of Repton School People educated at St Paul's School, London Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Provosts and Deans of Birmingham 1978 deaths