COLL P 07

Reference code

COLL P 07

Title

Papers of Provost Cecil, 1936 - 1944

Level

Series

Administrative / Biographical history

The fifth son of the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, Lord Cecil ("Linky") came to George Marindin's house in September 1882. He stayed only until summer 1884 and then went to University College, Oxford, where he obtained a 1st class degree in History in 1891 and a prize fellowship at Hertford College. After acting as his father's assistant private secretary he was elected as MP for Greenwich in 1895. Defeated in 1906, he returned to parliament in 1910 to represent the University of Oxford, a seat he held until 1937. In 1915 he joined the Royal Flying Corps, earning his pilot's wings on condition he made no more solo flights. In 1918 he was appointed to the Privy Council. He was involved in setting up the Church Assembly, in which he served for many years. His religion was of vital importance to him and he pursued vigorously the question of the retrospective rights of himself as Ordinary of College Chapel, the Bishop of Oxford as Diocesan and the Bishop of Lincoln as Visitor [See COLL/P7/20, 23]. He also made full use of his opportunities to deliver sermons and learned, if sometimes eccentric, explanations of the lessons. The letters he wrote to Brendan Bracken about his successor [COLL/P7/65] show the central place he gave to this aspect of his provostship. He was not always the easiest of colleagues, delighting in controversy for its own sake. The difficulties his inflexibility could sometimes create, especially in wartime, are shown by his attitude to air raid precautions, when the decision to provide shelters for the boys led him to address a lengthy memorandum to the Fellows on his interpretation of the statutory rules of Provost and Head Master [COLL/P7/49]. In 1941 he was created Baron Quickswood. He was also made an honorary DCL in 1924 and was an honorary fellow of Hertford, New College and Keble.

Date

1934 - 1955

Extent & medium

72 files

Associated material

Copies of letters to Provost Elliott are in ED 16. Further correspondence can be found in COLL/PG/15, a collection of the miscellaneous correspondence of several provosts.