Ivor Erskine St Clair Ramsay (1 November 1902 – 22 January 1956) was an eminent

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

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 particu ...

in the middle part of the 20th century. He was born on 1 November 1902 and educated at

Ardvreck School Ardvreck School is an independent boarding and day preparatory school for boys and girls aged 3–13. Located in Crieff in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It was established in 1883. Former pupils * Rear-Admiral Hugh Balfour (1933-1999), senior ...

Uppingham Uppingham is a market town in Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, south of the county town, Oakham. It had a population of 4,745 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 4,853 in 2019. It is known for its ep ...

and Glasgow University. He 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 va ...

in 1925 and began his career with a curacy at St Paul's Cathedral, Dundee. In 1931 he became a

Novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession A profession is a field of work that has ...

of the

College of the Resurrection, Mirfield The College of the Resurrection, popularly known as Mirfield, is an Anglo-Catholic theological college of the Church of England in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England. The college was founded in 1902 and describes itself as "A Theological Coll ...

and the following year

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

of the Home of St Francis,

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

. He then held incumbencies at

St John's Church, Jedburgh St John's Church is an Anglican church in Jedburgh. It was founded by Cecil Chetwynd Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian. It is a category A listed building. From 2023 the church was part of the Presbytery of Lothian and Borders. History Lady Cecil Ch ...

, Christ Church,

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

and St Andrew's, Dunmore before being appointed Provost of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. In 1949 he was appointed Dean of

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...

, a post he held until January 1956 when he jumped to his death from the roof of

King's College Chapel King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bui ...

after reportedly suffering from depression.

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

, Monday, 23 Jan 1956; pg. 10; Issue 53435; col B ''Obituary Very Ivor Ramsay Dean Of King's, Cambridge'' He was succeeded at King's by Dr. Alec Vidler.

References

1902 births 1956 suicides People educated at Uppingham School People educated at Ardvreck School Alumni of the University of Glasgow Alumni of the College of the Resurrection Provosts of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Episcopal) Fellows of King's College, Cambridge Suicides by jumping in England Deans of King's College, Cambridge {{Christian-clergy-stub