Walter Hamilton Moberly
Sir Walter Hamilton Moberly GBE KCB DSO (20 October 1881 – 31 January 1974) was a British academic, born into a clerical dynasty.
Early life
Walter Hamilton Moberly was born on 20 October 1881 in Budworth, Cheshire to Alice Sidney, née Hamilton (1851–1939) and Rev. Robert Campbell Moberly[1] and the grandson of George Moberly. His aunt was Charlotte Anne Moberly, first Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford.[2] He was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford.
Career
Moberly became a lecturer in political science at the University of Aberdeen from 1905 to 1906. He was a fellow of Merton College, Oxford, from 1904 to 1907.[3]
While Fellow and Lecturer in philosophy at Lincoln College, Oxford he contributed essays on "The Atonement" and "God and the Absolute" to the symposium Foundations: A Statement of Christian Belief in Terms of Modern Thought, published in 1912.[4] He served in World War I with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, being twice mentioned in despatches and injured three times.[5]
After the war, he was professor of philosophy at the University of Birmingham from 1921 to 1924, Principal of the University College of the South West of England from 1925 to 1926, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester from 1926 to 1934, Chairman of the University Grants Committee from 1935 to 1949 and the first Principal of St Catharine's Foundation from 1949 to 1955, alongside E. Amy Buller as Warden.[5]
Moberly was also an author, having written such books as The Crisis in the University (London: SCM Press)[6] and The Ethics of Punishment (London: Faber, 1968 ISBN 0-571-08438-9). He was a great-uncle of the theologian R. W. L. Moberly.
Honours
Moberly was made Knight Bachelor by King George V in the 1934 Birthday Honours.[7] He was made Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1944 Birthday Honours, then Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the 1949 Birthday Honours by King George VI.[8]
Moberly also received several honorary doctorates during his lifetime, including:
- DLitt from University of Nottingham (1949)[9]
- LLD from Queen's University Belfast (1949)[10]
- DLitt from Keele University (1965)[11]
Legacy
Winchester College's main library is named after him; Moberly Tower, a hall of residence at the Victoria University of Manchester was named after him. It was part of the refectory complex built in the 1960s; the tower was demolished ca. 2008.[citation needed] The Walter Moberly Building is also named after him at Keele University. It was built in 1954 and originally named the Conference Hall; it was renamed the Walter Moberly Hall in May 1960. This recognised Moberly's contribution to the creation of the experimental University College of North Staffordshire (the "Keele Experiment"), which received the Royal Charter as the Keele University in 1962. A house in the Duryard Hall of Residence at the University of Exeter was also named after him, which was demolished in 2019 and rebuilt in 2020.[12]
Personal life
Moberly married a former student, Gwendolen Gardner (1892–1975), on 29 December 1921. She had studied political philosophy with him at Oxford. They had four sons.[5]
References
- ^ "Moberly, Robert Campbell (1845–1903), theologian". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35049. Retrieved 4 February 2023. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Moberly, Charlotte Anne Elizabeth [Annie] (1846–1937), college head". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/48453. Retrieved 4 February 2023. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Levens, R.G.C., ed. (1964). Merton College Register 1900–1964. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 39.
- ^ Streeter, B. H. et al. (1912). Foundations: A Statement of Christian Belief in Terms of Modern Thought: By Seven Oxford Men. London: Macmillan. pp. 265–335, 423–524.
- ^ a b c "Moberly, Sir Walter Hamilton (1881–1974), philosopher and university administrator". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31451. Retrieved 4 February 2023. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ A statement of the views expressed in a series of "University pamphlets" published by the S.C.M. Press, and at a conference of university teachers convened by the Student Christian Movement and the Christian Frontier Council
- ^ "Wayback Machine". www.thegazette.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 November 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.thegazette.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ Honorary Graduates of the University of Nottingham - Nov 2021.pdf
- ^ Queen's University Belfast honorary-degree-recipients.pdf
- ^ University, Keele (21 January 2026). "Honorary degrees". Keele University. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ "Moberly". Willmore Iles. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
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