Erminio William Louis Marchesi (19 January 1898 – 10 December 1968) founded the Round Table, an international fellowship and community charitable organisation for young men. His mother was born in England to Irish parents and his father was Swiss. Marchesi was a young member of the Rotary Club in Norwich when he listened to the radio and heard the then Prince of Wales challenge the young men of Britain to "sit round a table (Round Table) adopt an idea, adapt it and improve it" (the motto is Adopt, Adapt, Improve). He conceived a club which could support younger businessmen; an idea he suggested to the membership in 1926. The first Round Table - "Norwich Round Table No. 1" was formed at Suckling House, Norwich on 14 March 1927, with Marchesi as Secretary and other young Rotarians among its officers. To prevent 'Round Table' becoming an old persons' club the founders initiated a retirement age of 31 March following the 40th birthday. He served in the forces in both the First and Second World Wars. He was married with one son Peter. The following phrases are attributed to him: # "There are things we must do" # "There are things we can do" # "And there are things we should do" Marchesi died at his residence in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

on 10 December 1968, and is buried in

Earlham Road Cemetery, Norwich Earlham Road Cemetery, Norwich also known as Earlham Cemetery or Norwich Cemetery is a cemetery located in Norwich which was officially opened on 6 March 1856 and covers . The cemetery is divided into two distinct sites by Farrow Road A140 whic ...

. A memorial service was held in

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City o ...

the following year. The grave of Louis Marchesi

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

in the city's Tombland area, previously called ''The Waggon and Horses'', was renamed ''The Louis Marchesi'' in 1976. The pub closed in 2005 and was later re-opened as a café bar. In August 2017, the pub reopened once again under the name ''The Louis Marchesi''. A

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

Uffculme Uffculme (, ) is a village and civil parish located in the Mid Devon district, of Devon, England. Situated in the Blackdown Hills on the B3440, close to the M5 motorway and the Bristol–Exeter railway line, near Cullompton, Uffculme is on the ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, The Louis Marchesi Lodge, is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marchesi, Louis People from Norwich 1898 births 1968 deaths Burials in Norfolk