VOLUME 92 FOR MEMBERS OF ST JOHN’S COLLEGE The Eagle 2010 ST JOHN’S COLLEGE U NI V E RS I T Y O F CA M B R I D GE The Eagle 2010 Volume 92 ST JOHN’S COLLEGE U N I V E R S I T Y O F C A MB R I D G E THE EAGLE Published in the United Kingdom in 2010 by St John’s College, Cambridge St John’s College Cambridge CB2 1TP www.joh.cam.ac.uk Telephone: 01223 338700 Fax: 01223 338727 Email: [email protected] Registered charity number 1137428 First published in the United Kingdom in 1858 by St John’s College, Cambridge Designed and produced by Cameron Design: 01284 725292; www.cameronacademic.co.uk Printed by Esson Print, Royston. Cover photograph by Alice Hardy. The war memorial was designed by Henry M Fletcher and was unveiled and dedicated on 23 February 1923. The wings to commemorate Second World War victims were added in November 1954 and were designed by Edward Maufe. Photography by Alice Hardy, Ben Gallagher, The Telegraph, Nick Kane, Daisy Hutchison, Nicola Coles, Amir Hajizamani, Gotham Books, Polity and contributors. The Eagle is published annually by St John’s College, Cambridge, and is sent free of charge to members of St John’s College and other interested parties. Items to be considered for publication should be addressed to The Editor, The Eagle, Development Office, St John’s College, Cambridge, CB2 1TP, or sent by email to [email protected]. If you would like to submit Members’ News for publication in The Eagle, you can do so online at http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/johnian/publications/members_news/. Page 2 www.joh.cam.ac.uk CONTENTS & EDITORIAL & CONTENTS CONTENTS & EDITORIAL ST JOHN’S COLLEGE U N I V E R S I T Y O F C A MB R I D G E THE EAGLE Contents & Editorial CONTENTS & EDITORIAL & CONTENTS Page 4 www.joh.cam.ac.uk Contents & Editorial THE EAGLE CONTENTS EDITORIAL & CONTENTS Editorial ................................................................................................... 7 Articles Message from the Master .................................................................... 10 Message from the Senior Tutor ............................................................ 14 Message from the Development Director ............................................. 16 Malte Schwarzkopf: 2009: a student’s view ......................................... 19 Dr Mark Nicholls: Commemoration of Benefactors: Forever Coming Second – honouring and neglecting Mary, Countess of Shrewsbury ....... 21 Dr James Harmer: Annotated Histories of Sir John Cheke ....................... 26 Andrew Gilligan: Will history be fair to Tony Blair? .............................. 30 Dr Christopher Stray: The Wooden Spoon: A tale of order and disorder .... 33 Colin Greenhalgh: In Praise of Headship – William Hall Kennedy and Michael Barclay Mavor ................................................................ 38 Stephen Thompson: From agriculture to services: the changing economic and domestic uses of the Triangle Site over two millennia ...................... 45 Dr Matthew Mason: An Ear to the Ground: Hearing in Subterranean Mammals ..................................................................... 53 The late Dr John Alexander: Popski at St John’s ................................... 59 David Bryant: Ewart Johns – An Appreciation for St John’s College ........ 64 T Brian Robinson: Cambridge Memories ............................................. 70 www.joh.cam.ac.uk Page 5 THE EAGLE Contents & Editorial CONTENTS & EDITORIAL & CONTENTS College Sports and Societies ..................................................................... 75 Fellows and Members’ News .................................................................. 117 Obituaries ............................................................................................. 135 Poetry ................................................................................................... 149 Book Reviews ....................................................................................... 153 Donors ................................................................................................. 163 Donors to the Library ............................................................................. 179 College Notes ....................................................................................... 183 Page 6 www.joh.cam.ac.uk Contents & Editorial THE EAGLE Editorial EDITORIAL & CONTENTS Welcome to the 2010 issue of The Eagle. This year we have a wealth of articles together with the familiar sections of Fellows and members’ news and reports from College societies and sports teams. This year’s issue has a strong historical focus, with articles about various periods of the College’s history, including the second foundress, Mary Countess of Shrewsbury, the changing uses of the Triangle Site and the study of humanism during the sixteenth century. The late Dr Alexander investigates the early life of a famous Johnian, while Andrew Gilligan reflects on how history will treat Tony Blair. Colin Greenhalgh looks back over the careers of two Johnian head teachers and their roles in inspiring generations for the future. Dr Mason provides a fascinating insight into the world of mammals and, in our Focus on a Fellow section, you can learn about the fieldwork undertaken by Dr Jiggins as he identifies new species of butterfly. You will also find an addition to the College Notes section, recording the achievements of our undergraduate and graduate students over the past year. Unfortunately an error was introduced to the referencing of The Eagle in 2008, when volume 90 was mistakenly numbered volume 110. This issue of The Eagle is numbered volume 92, which is correct according to the original sequence. If you would like an item to be considered for inclusion in The Eagle 2011, please contact the Development Office no later than February 2011. The content of The Eagle is agreed by the Publications and Public Relations Committee, which meets termly. Please submit notices for the Members’ News section, such as news of appointments, honours, births, marriages or publications, using the enclosed form or online at www.joh.cam.ac.uk/johnian/publications/members_news_form until 22 April 2011. www.joh.cam.ac.uk Page 7 THE EAGLE Contents & Editorial CONTENTS & EDITORIAL & CONTENTS Last but not least, a warm thank you to everyone who has been involved in this year’s issue of The Eagle, including contributors and members of College staff. I would particularly like to thank the Development Office team for their hard work. Marianne Crowder Alumni Relations Officer (Publications) Development Office D Second Court St John’s College Cambridge CB2 1TP Tel: 01223 330722 Email: [email protected] www.joh.cam.ac.uk/johnian Page 8 www.joh.cam.ac.uk ARTICLES ARTICLES ST JOHN’S COLLEGE U N I V E R S I T Y O F C A MB R I D G E THE EAGLE Articles Message from the Master It is a pleasure to write my third ‘Message from the Master’ for The Eagle in this our 499th year, as the College is in excellent heart after a very happy and productive year that culminated in a splendid May Week. Unlike in some recent years, the sun shone when it was needed – for garden parties and General Admission for example – and the night of the Ball was fine and dry. The Gentlemen of St John’s’ traditional 5.15 am slot succeeded in gathering together the (many) survivors in New Court prior to the famous 6.00 am photograph on the Backs. And there is much to cheer about in the emerging ARTICLES examination results, with a remarkable number of Johnians topping the Tripos lists and collecting University Prizes. When I was writing my message for last year’s Eagle we were about halfway through the celebrations of the 800th Anniversary of the University of Cambridge. I was able to report in particular the triumphant performance of the College Choir during the ‘Cambridge Prom’ at the Royal Albert Hall, in the presence of the Prince of Wales. Later in the year we were treated to a number of other ceremonies marking this historic year, culminating in the visit of the Queen to the University in mid-November. The Vice-Chancellor, in her Loyal Address on this occasion, reminded us that Her Majesty has unusually close connections with Cambridge: her mother was the first woman to be awarded a degree by the University – an honorary doctorate of Laws – conferred in 1948, two of her children were undergraduates here, and her husband has been Chancellor for over 30 years. And, of course, her predecessors were instrumental in founding at least five colleges, including St John’s. It was an occasion worthy of such an anniversary, with various junior and senior members of each college having an opportunity to meet the Queen. There was just one representative from outside Cambridge at the ceremony, the recently appointed Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, Professor Andrew Hamilton FRS, but he is not far outside as he is a Johnian. In order to help him in his challenging role he is fortunate to have the help of four other Johnians who are heads of colleges in Oxford. During the course of the year the name of the new Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge was announced to be Sir Leszek Borysiewicz FRS. Any transient disappointment that he was not a Johnian like his Oxford counterpart was short- lived when we realised that he is at least a Johnian parent, as his daughter read mathematics at St John’s. I am pleased to say that in his role in Cambridge he will also be able to count on the support of four Johnian heads of colleges! Page 10 www.joh.cam.ac.uk Articles THE EAGLE As well