Launcelot Percival
Encyclopedia
Launcelot Jefferson Percival KVCO (22 May 1869 – 22 June 1941) was an Anglican
priest who in addition to various parish posts served in the Ecclesiastical Household
s of Queen Victoria
, King Edward VII
, King George V
, King Edward VIII
and King George VI
.
Percival was also a noted sportsman in his early adult life and was an international rugby union
forward who played club rugby for Oxford University
and Rugby
. Percival played international rugby for England
and was an original member of invitational team, the Barbarians
.
in 1869 to John Percival
and Louisa Holland. He was educated at Clifton College
, of which his father was headmaster. Percival followed his father later in life when he matriculated to Trinity College, Oxford
, as after leaving Clifton, John Percival had taken the role of President of Trinity College.
Percival left university with a Masters degree and took Holy Orders
. By 1899 he was resident chaplain to the Bishop of London
, and on 28 February 1899 he was appointed an Honorary Priest in Ordinary to Queen Victoria, his first entry into the monarch's Ecclesiastical Household. By 1905 he was also rector
of St James's Church, Fulham
and on 3 November he was promoted to Priest in Ordinary to the king. In 1910 he became the rector of St Mary's
, Bryanston Square
in London. On 6 January 1922 he was appointed Precentor
of the Chapel Royal
, and on 6 February 1923 domestic chaplain to the king. On 3 March 1924 he was appointed Chaplain of the Venerable Order of Saint John
. In 1931 Percival was made Deputy Clerk of the Closet
(and sub-almoner
), and on 20 July 1936 was reappointed to the post after the accession of Edward VIII and again on 2 March 1937 under George VI after Edward's abdication
. In the 1936 New Year Honours
he was appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. In 1937 he was appointed Precentor of the Chapel Royal for the second time, this time he held the post until his death in 1941. He was succeeded by Revd Wallace Elliott.
The National Portrait Gallery in London holds two photographs of Percival, both taken in 1931 by one of Alexander Bassano
's photographic studios.
, mentioned as scoring twice for an invitational priest's team in George William Erskine Russell
's 1921 collection of essays Afterthoughts and in the 1891–92 season for Oxford scored a 'remarkable try' against Blackheath when he dribbled the ball almost the entire length of the pitch before punting the ball over the opposing fullback to score.
One of Percival's most notable matches for Oxford was the 1889 encounter with the touring New Zealand Native football team. The match was played on the 21 February, Oxford winning 6–0.
Percival played in two Varsity Matches
against Cambridge University
in 1889 and 1891 to win his sporting 'Blues'. His first Varsity game ended in victory, with Oxford winning by a goal and two tries to nil, Percival scoring one of the tries after a scrummage close to the Cambridge line. Percival was absent from the 1890 team, after being forced to stand down after an accident, but returned to the Oxford squad in 1891. Oxford began the 1891 game as favourites, with a very strong forward pack in tremendous form, but lost the match to late Cambridge pressure.
In the 1890/91 season Percival was approached by William Percy Carpmael
to join his newly formed invitational team, the Barbarians. In accepting, Percival became one of the founding members of the team. The same season, Percival was first selected for the England national rugby team, brought into the squad as a replacement for Richard Budworth
. His debut was against Ireland
in the second England encounter of the 1891 Home Nations Championship
; the game ended with a comfortable victory for the English team. Despite the win, Percival was replaced for the next game of the tournament, but was called upon again for the 1892 Championship
, again against Ireland. The game ended in another win for England, and Percival scored his first and only international points when he scored a try, thanks to some good build up play from Sammy Woods
and Frank Evershed
. His third and final international game was in 1893, but having left Oxford University he was now representing Rugby at club level. Played against Scotland, Percival was on the losing side with England for the first time, though he became the first player to win a cap playing from Rugby.
Percival played for several seasons for Rugby and was instrumental in bringing in several talented players to the club. In the 1892/93 season, Percival was given the captaincy of the club for one season, replacing T B Sparkes.
and Herefordshire County Cricket Club
and in 1895 while representing Herefordshire he was bowled out in both innings by J. T. Hearne.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
priest who in addition to various parish posts served in the Ecclesiastical Household
Ecclesiastical Household
The Ecclesiastical Household is a part of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Reflecting the different constitutions of the Churches of England and of Scotland, there are separate Ecclesiastical Households in each nation.-England:...
s of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
, King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, King Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
and King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
.
Percival was also a noted sportsman in his early adult life and was an international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
forward who played club rugby for Oxford University
Oxford University RFC
The Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.-History:...
and Rugby
Rugby Lions
Rugby Football Club, nicknamed the Lions, is a rugby union club based in Rugby, Warwickshire in England . Rugby currently compete in National League 3 Midlands...
. Percival played international rugby for England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
and was an original member of invitational team, the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
.
Personal history
Percival was born in Clifton, BristolClifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
in 1869 to John Percival
John Percival (bishop)
John Percival was the first Headmaster of Clifton College, where he made his reptutation as a great educator. In his 17 years at Clifton numbers rose from 62 to 680. He accepted the Presidency of Trinity College, Oxford to recover from his exhaustive years at Clifton...
and Louisa Holland. He was educated at Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
, of which his father was headmaster. Percival followed his father later in life when he matriculated to Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
, as after leaving Clifton, John Percival had taken the role of President of Trinity College.
Percival left university with a Masters degree and took Holy Orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
. By 1899 he was resident chaplain to the Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
, and on 28 February 1899 he was appointed an Honorary Priest in Ordinary to Queen Victoria, his first entry into the monarch's Ecclesiastical Household. By 1905 he was also rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of St James's Church, Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
and on 3 November he was promoted to Priest in Ordinary to the king. In 1910 he became the rector of St Mary's
St Mary's, Bryanston Square
St Mary's, Bryanston Square, is a Church of England church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Bryanston Square, London, just a five minute walk from any of Marylebone, Baker Street or Edgware Road tube stations...
, Bryanston Square
Bryanston Square
Bryanston Square is a square in Marylebone, Westminster, London, England. Named after its owner Henry William Portman's home village of Bryanston in Dorset, it was built as part of the Portman Estate between 1810 and 1815, along with Montagu Square a little to the east and Wyndham Place to its...
in London. On 6 January 1922 he was appointed Precentor
Precentor
A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is "præcentor", from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" ....
of the Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
, and on 6 February 1923 domestic chaplain to the king. On 3 March 1924 he was appointed Chaplain of the Venerable Order of Saint John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
. In 1931 Percival was made Deputy Clerk of the Closet
Deputy Clerk of the Closet
The Deputy Clerk of the Closet is the Domestic Chaplain to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The office was created in 1677. Since 1931, the Deputy Clerk is also the sub-dean of the Chapel Royal...
(and sub-almoner
Royal Almonry
The Royal Almonry is a small office within the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, headed by the Lord High Almoner, an office dating from 1103. The almoner is responsible for distributing alms to the poor....
), and on 20 July 1936 was reappointed to the post after the accession of Edward VIII and again on 2 March 1937 under George VI after Edward's abdication
Edward VIII abdication crisis
In 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire was caused by King-Emperor Edward VIII's proposal to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite....
. In the 1936 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
he was appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. In 1937 he was appointed Precentor of the Chapel Royal for the second time, this time he held the post until his death in 1941. He was succeeded by Revd Wallace Elliott.
The National Portrait Gallery in London holds two photographs of Percival, both taken in 1931 by one of Alexander Bassano
Alexander Bassano
Alexander Bassano was the leading high society portrait photographer in Victorian London.He was the second youngest child of Clemente Bassano, originally a fishmonger of Cranbourne Street, later an oilman and Italian warehouseman of Jermyn Street, London. He opened his first studio in 1850 in...
's photographic studios.
Rugby career
Percival first came to note as a rugby player when he represented Oxford University whilst studying at Trinity. Although a forward, Percival had a good reputation for scoring triesTry
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
, mentioned as scoring twice for an invitational priest's team in George William Erskine Russell
George William Erskine Russell
George William Erskine Russell PC , known as George W. E. Russell, was a British biographer, memoirist and Liberal politician.-Background and education:...
's 1921 collection of essays Afterthoughts and in the 1891–92 season for Oxford scored a 'remarkable try' against Blackheath when he dribbled the ball almost the entire length of the pitch before punting the ball over the opposing fullback to score.
One of Percival's most notable matches for Oxford was the 1889 encounter with the touring New Zealand Native football team. The match was played on the 21 February, Oxford winning 6–0.
Percival played in two Varsity Matches
The Varsity Match
The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England. By tradition, the match is held on the second Tuesday of December. In 2005, however, this changed, and the match was on Tuesday 6 December. In 2007, it was held on a Thursday for...
against Cambridge University
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, or CURUFC, is the rugby union club of Cambridge University, and plays Oxford University in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham stadium every December. CURUFC players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest...
in 1889 and 1891 to win his sporting 'Blues'. His first Varsity game ended in victory, with Oxford winning by a goal and two tries to nil, Percival scoring one of the tries after a scrummage close to the Cambridge line. Percival was absent from the 1890 team, after being forced to stand down after an accident, but returned to the Oxford squad in 1891. Oxford began the 1891 game as favourites, with a very strong forward pack in tremendous form, but lost the match to late Cambridge pressure.
In the 1890/91 season Percival was approached by William Percy Carpmael
William Percy Carpmael
William Percy Carpmael was the founder and first president of the rugby union Barbarian Football Club. Carpmael was born the eldest of eight in Briscobel, Stretham in England.-Education and early career:...
to join his newly formed invitational team, the Barbarians. In accepting, Percival became one of the founding members of the team. The same season, Percival was first selected for the England national rugby team, brought into the squad as a replacement for Richard Budworth
Richard Budworth
Richard Thomas Dutton Budworth was an English rugby union forward who played club rugby for Blackheath and international rugby for England. In 1890 Budworth became one of the original members of the Barbarians Football Club....
. His debut was against Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
in the second England encounter of the 1891 Home Nations Championship
1891 Home Nations Championship
The 1891 Home Nations Championship was the ninth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 3 January and 7 March...
; the game ended with a comfortable victory for the English team. Despite the win, Percival was replaced for the next game of the tournament, but was called upon again for the 1892 Championship
1892 Home Nations Championship
The 1892 Home Nations Championship was the tenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 2 January and 5 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, again against Ireland. The game ended in another win for England, and Percival scored his first and only international points when he scored a try, thanks to some good build up play from Sammy Woods
Sammy Woods
Samuel Moses James "Sammy" Woods was an Australian sportsman who represented both Australia and England at Test cricket, and appeared thirteen times for England at rugby union, including five times as captain. He also played at county level in England at both soccer and hockey...
and Frank Evershed
Frank Evershed
Frank Evershed was an English rugby player who played internationally for England between 1889 and 1893 and a cricketer who played for Derbyshire....
. His third and final international game was in 1893, but having left Oxford University he was now representing Rugby at club level. Played against Scotland, Percival was on the losing side with England for the first time, though he became the first player to win a cap playing from Rugby.
Percival played for several seasons for Rugby and was instrumental in bringing in several talented players to the club. In the 1892/93 season, Percival was given the captaincy of the club for one season, replacing T B Sparkes.
Cricket career
Percival also played cricket at a high level. He represented both Marylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
and Herefordshire County Cricket Club
Herefordshire County Cricket Club
Herefordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Herefordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
and in 1895 while representing Herefordshire he was bowled out in both innings by J. T. Hearne.