Reverend Robert William Ryde (6 July 1866 – 8 August 1909) 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 ...

clergyman and member of the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

(CMS). He was Principal of

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and

St. John's College, Jaffna '' , motto_translation = Light Shines in the Darkness , location = , streetaddress = Main Street, Chundikuli , region = , city = Jaffna, Jaffna District , state = , p ...

The Ryde Gold Medal "Look to the End" , mottoes = , founder = John Ireland Jones , established = , type = Independent Private , affiliation = Church of Ceylon, Anglican , grade ...

, awarded in Trinity College to the best all round boy, and the highest honour that the School can bestow, is named after Rev. Ryde.

Early life and education

Ryde was born in New Cross, Kent, the son of Charles Ryde, who worked in the cotton industry, and Mary Ann Ryde (''née'' Turner). He grew up in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

and was educated in

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

and

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

, earning his B.A. in 1888 and M.A. in 1895. He was ordained as a deacon in 1895. He taught classics at

Monkton Combe School (Thy Word is Truth) , established = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , founder = The Revd Francis Pocock , head_label = Head Master , head ...

before travelling to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) with the CMS.

Career in Ceylon

Rev. Ryde took over as Vice Principal of Trinity in 1895. He married Miss E M Loveridge in 1897, and left in 1899 for St John's, Jaffna as Principal, with Rev A.A. Pilson filling his vacancy at Kandy. Upon the resignation of Principal Rev Napier-Clavering in 1900, Ryde returned to Trinity College as Principal. He held this post for a brief 2 years, leaving in 1902, but the impression he left on the boys of the era was a lasting one. His stint in Jaffna was also marked by the latter feature, so much so that he was invited to assume duty as President of the St John's College Old Boys' Association in 1904, and that of the Trinity OBA (Colombo) in 1908. Following his period at Trinity, Rev Ryde took charge of the Sinhalese Women Teachers Vernacular Training School, in Cotta,

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

. He was preparing to move his family to the mission house in

Anuradhapura Anuradhapura ( si, අනුරාධපුරය, translit=Anurādhapuraya; ta, அனுராதபுரம், translit=Aṉurātapuram) is a major city located in north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central ...

to assume duties at St. Andrews Church when he was taken ill. Rev Ryde died in Colombo in 1909.

Legacy

His loss was felt deeply in both Trinity and St John's. The Colombo OBA of Trinity College has been honouring his name since by presenting the Ryde Gold Medal. It is also recorded by the St. John's OBA that ''in 1910 the late Dr. S. V. Vairakiam offered to present annually a medal, in memory of the late Rev. R. W. Ryde, M. A., who was Principal of the College in 1899, to the boy who stood first in order of merit in the College in the Cambridge Senior Local examination. The medal was called the "Ryde Medal" and bore a splendid impress of the likeness of Mr. Ryde''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryde, R W 1866 births 1909 deaths English Anglican missionaries Principals of St. John's College, Jaffna Anglican missionaries in Sri Lanka British expatriates in Sri Lanka People from New Cross Staff at Monkton Combe School

Early life and education

Career in Ceylon

Legacy

See also

References