Sir George Lowthian Trevelyan, 4th Baronet (5 November 1906 – 9 February 1996) was a British educational pioneer who was prominent in the
New Age movement
New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consid ...
. In 1942, after listening to a lecture by Dr
Walter Stein, a student of
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (; 27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century ...
, he transitioned from being agnostic to a new age spiritual thinker, and even studied
anthroposophy
Anthroposophy is a spiritual new religious movementSources for 'new religious movement': which was founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensibl ...
in the coming years. He first became a History teacher at
Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun School ( ) is an elite co-educational Private school (United Kingdom), private school for boarding and day pupils in Moray, Scotland. Two generations of British royalty were educated at Gordonstoun, including Prince Philip, Duke of Ed ...
School, pioneering radical education methods. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, in 1948, he became the Warden at
Attingham Park, a pioneering adult education college in
Shropshire
Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
, from which he retired in 1971 to found the
Wrekin Trust, an educational charity. He was subsequently associated with the
Soil Association
The Soil Association is a British registered charity focused on the effect of agriculture on the environment. It was established in 1946. Their activities include campaigning for local purchasing, public education on nutrition and certificat ...
, the
Findhorn Foundation
The Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish charitable trust registered in 1972, formed by the spiritual community at the Findhorn Ecovillage, one of the largest intentional communities in Britain.''The Dictionary of Alternatives: Utopianism and O ...
, the
Teilhard de Chardin
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (; 1 May 1881 – 10 April 1955) was a French Jesuit, Catholic priest, scientist, palaeontologist, theologian, and teacher. He was Darwinian and progressive in outlook and the author of several influential theologica ...
Society and the Essene Network. In the last 15 years of his life he was the focus of many lecture tours and meetings. He also wrote numerous books, including ''A Vision of the Aquarian Age'' (1977), ''Operation Redemption'' (1981), ''Summons to a High Crusade'' (1985) and finally ''Exploration into God'' (1991). He was awarded the
Right Livelihood Award
The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob vo ...
in 1982 for "educating the adult spirit to a new non-materialistic vision of human nature."
Early life and education
Trevelyan was the eldest child of
Sir Charles Trevelyan, 3rd Baronet
Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan, 3rd Baronet (28 October 1870 – 24 January 1958) was a British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party, and later Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, politician and landowner. He served as Secretary of State for Education ...
, and Mary Katherine Bell, a younger half-sister of
Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist. She spent much of her life exploring and mapping the Middle East, and became highly inf ...
and the daughter of
Sir Thomas Bell, 2nd Baronet. He was proud of this ancestry, which he imagined linked him to Sir Trevillian, one of
King Arthur
According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...
's knights, who swam ashore on horseback when
Lyonesse
Lyonesse ( /liːɒˈnɛs/ ''lee-uh-NESS'') is a kingdom which, according to legend, consisted of a long strand of land stretching from Land's End at the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England, to what is now the Isles of Scilly in the Celtic ...
finally sank. Legend says that Sir Trevillian emerged with a mighty effort from the waves and landed safely on the dry land of
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
. He grew up in his family's
Northumberland
Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
home,
Wallington Hall, which his father gave to the
National Trust
The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
, effectively disinheriting Trevelyan. He studied at
Sidcot School, a
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
school in
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
.
In 1925, he went to read history at
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 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 ...
, in accordance with family tradition.
Whilst there he began his 42-year-long association with the famous 'Trevelyan Man Hunt', an extraordinary annual event which involved a chase on foot over the wild Lakeland fells, with human 'hunters' hunting after human 'hares'. This energetic event was started in 1898 by Trevlyan's historian uncle
G. M. Trevelyan
George Macaulay Trevelyan (16 February 1876 – 21 July 1962) was an English historian and academic. He was a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1898 to 1903. He then spent more than twenty years as a full-time author. He returned to th ...
and the Wynthrop Youngs, and still continues today, as a kind of hide and seek game without dogs or weapons.
Career
After leaving Cambridge, Trevelyan went on to teach at
Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun School ( ) is an elite co-educational Private school (United Kingdom), private school for boarding and day pupils in Moray, Scotland. Two generations of British royalty were educated at Gordonstoun, including Prince Philip, Duke of Ed ...
, which at that time was a school pioneering a radical education. Later, he became involved as a teacher of the
Alexander Technique
The Alexander technique, named after its developer Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869–1955), is an alternative therapy based on the idea that poor posture causes a range of health problems. The American National Center for Complementary a ...
for postural integration, and apprenticed himself to a furniture designer and master craftsman in wood,
Peter Waals, working at Waals' workshop in the
Cotswold hills
The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the be ...
. Trevelyan himself made many fine pieces of furniture, including a bed in which he finally died, as he wished.
In 1931, Trevelyan took the first class
F. Matthias Alexander gave for future teachers of the
Alexander Technique
The Alexander technique, named after its developer Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869–1955), is an alternative therapy based on the idea that poor posture causes a range of health problems. The American National Center for Complementary a ...
.
In 1942, after hearing a lecture given by Dr
Walter Stein, a student of
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (; 27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century ...
, Trevelyan discovered a spiritual world-view.
[B J Nesfield-Cookson]
"Rudolf Steiner"
from Sir George Trevelyan: thoughts and writings During his lifetime he explored beliefs in
angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
s, the calming effects of
crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
s and the power of
ley lines
Ley lines () are straight alignments drawn between various historic structures, prehistoric sites and prominent landmarks. The idea was developed in early 20th-century Europe, with ley line believers arguing that these alignments were recognis ...
, alongside organic farming and communal living.
In 1947, after his wartime
military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Few nations, such ...
, Trevelyan was appointed Warden and Principal of
Attingham Park, an adult training college in
Shropshire
Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
, where he carried out his pioneering work in the teaching of spiritual knowledge as
adult education
Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained educating activities in order to gain new knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralph G. ''The Pr ...
. The courses ranged from
chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...
and drama onto
esoteric
Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...
subjects such as 'Finding the Inner Teacher' and 'Holistic Vision'. The latter attracting large numbers of participants, many of them from other countries as well as Britain. The college was jointly sponsored by the local authority,
Shropshire County Council, and the
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
, both of whom looked askance at Trevelyan's attraction towards the mystical; and so it took immense moral courage, for instance, for him to present a course on 'Death and Becoming', a subject that was in those days virtually
taboo
A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
.
He was involved in the establishment of the
Findhorn Foundation
The Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish charitable trust registered in 1972, formed by the spiritual community at the Findhorn Ecovillage, one of the largest intentional communities in Britain.''The Dictionary of Alternatives: Utopianism and O ...
, the Gatekeeper Trust, and through his friendship with
Wellesley Tudor Pole, the
Chalice Well and the Lamplighter Movement.
In 1971, he set up the
Wrekin Trust to promote spiritual education and knowledge
In 1982, he was a recipient of the
Right Livelihood Award
The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob vo ...
.
Personal life
He married Helen Lindsay-Smith (died 1994) in 1940, and the couple had an adopted daughter.
Bibliography
*''Twelve Seats at the Round Table'' (written with Edward Matchett) (1976, Neville Spearman)
*''The Active Eye in Architecture'' (1977, Wrekin Trust, also illustrated by Trevelyan. Now available online only)
*''A Tent in Which To Pass A Summer Night'' (written with Belle Valerie Gaunt) (1977, Coventure)
*''A Vision of the Aquarian Age'' (1977, Coventure UK and 1984, Stillpoint USA, now available online only)
*''Magic Casements – The Use of Poetry in the Expanding of Consciousness'' (1980, Coventure and republished 1996, Gateway Books, now available online only). Includes poems by various authors, and much of the Trevelyan text previously published in A Tent in Which To Pass A Summer's Night
*''Operation Redemption: A Vision Of Hope In An Age Of Turmoil'' (1981, Turnstone)
*''The Pattern of Initiation in the Evolution of Human Consciousness'' (written with Peter Dawkins). (Francis Bacon Research Trust, 1981).
*''Summons to a High Crusade'' (1986, Findhorn Press: 12 of Trevelyan's lectures at the
Findhorn Foundation
The Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish charitable trust registered in 1972, formed by the spiritual community at the Findhorn Ecovillage, one of the largest intentional communities in Britain.''The Dictionary of Alternatives: Utopianism and O ...
)
*''Exploration into God: A Personal Quest For Spiritual Unity'' (1991, Gateway Books, now available online only)
*''Aquarian Redemption: A Trilogy'' (1994, Stillpoint. Slipcase bound edition collecting together A Vision Of The Aquarian Age, Operation Redemption & Exploration Into God)
*''Sir George Trevelyan And The New Spiritual Awakening'' (biography of Trevelyan by Frances Farrer, 2002, Floris Books)
*''Awakening Consciousness'' (selected lectures of Trevelyan compiled by Keith Armstrong, 2008, Godstow Press)
References
External links
Sir George Trevelyan, homepageWrekin Trust, websiteGatekeeper Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trevelyan, George
New Age writers
1906 births
1996 deaths
Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
British furniture designers
Scottish schoolteachers
Findhorn community
Bell family (England)
Trevelyan family