Real memorial obituaries – Combe Down, Monkton Combe, Midford

In memoriam et celebrationem

In memorial and celebration

DEATH OF THE REV R G BRYAN, COMBE DOWN NONAGENARIAN

FORMER PRINCIPAL OF MONKTON COMBE SCHOOL

We regret to record the death of Reginald Guy Bryan, which occurred on Tuesday night at his residence, Combe Down.

The Rev. E. G, Bryan. who in his 93rd year, was for a long number of years Principal of Monkton Combe School. and he was one of the oldest clergy in England.

Early in life he came under the influence of the great Dr. Arnold, of Rugby, and subsequently he was a scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge, being the 23rd Wrangler of his year. ***

He was ordained u deacon in 1842 and a year later was ordained priest at Peterboro'. Later he became became vice-principal of the Protestant college Malta, and, returning: to this country became become Vicar ad Fosbury, Wilts, where he remained from 1858 cto 1875.

His associations with Monkton Combe go back go back a very long way and he had seen the school grow from a small institution to one of great prominence among the public schools of England.

The school was commenced by Mr. Pocock with a few pupils whom he prepared for missionary work, and he subsequently handed it over to Mr. Bryan, who for over twenty years continued it as private school.

At the time when Mr, Bryan became principal of Monkton Combe School there were 15 pupils under his control and the school grew until it it had over 70 boys on the roll at the time when he relinquished the duties of principal. He was succeeded for a short time by his son Mr. W. Bryan.

The school school was afterwards taken over by a Council and it then became a public school.

At time the Rev. R. G. Bryan was principal both the junior and senior school were in one building. But the success of the school has been most marked, and more recent developments resulted in a Junior school being built at Combe Down. Mr. Bryan's association with Monkton Combe School have extended a period of about 45 years.

The present headmaster is the Rev. W. J. Kearns.

A man with the true missionary spirit, the deceased clergyman aud schoolmaster was responsible for laying the missionary foundation of this school for it can be said tthat Monkton Combe has turned out more missionaries than any other public school in England and at the present time there are over 40 Old Monktonians in the mission field. Mr. Bryan drew his pupils very largely from old evangelical county families.

*** "Wrangler" is a student who gains first-class honours in the Mathematical Tripos competition.