Theodore Wade-Gery
Encyclopedia
Henry Theodore Wade-Gery, generally known as Theodore (2 April 1888, Campton Grange near Shefford
, Bedfordshire
– 2 January 1972, Oxford
) was a classical scholar, historian and epigrapher, and Wykeham Professor of Ancient History in the University of Oxford
.
, a contemporary of Arnold J. Toynbee
and R.M.Y. Gleadowe, and at New College, Oxford
, which he left with a First in Classical Moderations in 1911. After a short spell in the Civil Service
he was offered a Fellowship in 1914 at Wadham College
.
Almost immediately however he left for military service in World War I
in the army on the Western Front
, during which he was awarded the MC
.
After the end of the war he returned to Wadham, eventually becoming Sub-Warden. In 1928 he married Vivian Whitfield, an archaeologist. They had one son, Robert (now Sir Robert) Wade-Gery, born in 1929.
Wade-Gery remained at Wadham until 1939, when on his election as Wykeham Professor of Ancient History he became a Fellow of New College
. In 1941 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy
.
He retired from his Chair in 1953 and was offered a five-year Research Fellowship at Merton College
, two years of which he spent at Princeton
. For the next ten years or so he continued to travel and to write (his last publication was in 1966) until after a few years of declining health he died of a heart attack in 1972.
.
His writing was mostly in the form of articles in learned journals.
His principal publications were:
Shefford, Bedfordshire
Shefford is a small town and civil parish located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 4,928, although this was estimated to have grown to 5,770 by 2007.-History:...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
– 2 January 1972, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
) was a classical scholar, historian and epigrapher, and Wykeham Professor of Ancient History in the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Life
Born into a long-established Bedfordshire family, he was educated at Winchester CollegeWinchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, a contemporary of Arnold J. Toynbee
Arnold J. Toynbee
Arnold Joseph Toynbee CH was a British historian whose twelve-volume analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations, A Study of History, 1934–1961, was a synthesis of world history, a metahistory based on universal rhythms of rise, flowering and decline, which examined history from a global...
and R.M.Y. Gleadowe, and at New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, which he left with a First in Classical Moderations in 1911. After a short spell in the Civil Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
he was offered a Fellowship in 1914 at Wadham College
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
.
Almost immediately however he left for military service in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in the army on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, during which he was awarded the MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
.
After the end of the war he returned to Wadham, eventually becoming Sub-Warden. In 1928 he married Vivian Whitfield, an archaeologist. They had one son, Robert (now Sir Robert) Wade-Gery, born in 1929.
Wade-Gery remained at Wadham until 1939, when on his election as Wykeham Professor of Ancient History he became a Fellow of New College
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
. In 1941 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
.
He retired from his Chair in 1953 and was offered a five-year Research Fellowship at Merton College
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, two years of which he spent at Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. For the next ten years or so he continued to travel and to write (his last publication was in 1966) until after a few years of declining health he died of a heart attack in 1972.
Works
In 1915 three of his poems were published in that year's "Oxford Poetry" volume , in which work by J.R.R. Tolkien also appeared. After his safe return from the war he published "Terpsichore and Other Poems", a collection of his poetry, in 1922, but future publications were devoted to his academic work and especially to epigraphyEpigraphy
Epigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
.
His writing was mostly in the form of articles in learned journals.
His principal publications were:
- Pindar: Pythian Odes, 1928 (Nonesuch Press), jointly with Maurice BowraMaurice BowraSir Cecil Maurice Bowra was an English classical scholar and academic, known for his wit. He was Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, from 1938 to 1970, and served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1951 to 1954.-Birth and boyhood:...
; - The Athenian Tribute Lists (4 vols), 1939-53 (American School of Classical Studies at Athens), as a joint author with Benjamin D. Meritt and Malcolm F. McGregor;
- The Poet of the Iliad, 1952 (CUP), the published form of his J.H. Gray lectures given at Cambridge in 1949;
- Essays in Greek History, 1958 (Blackwell).