The Cambridge Apostles, 1820-1914: Liberalism, Imagination, and Friendship in British Intellectual and Professional Life 1st Edition
by W.C. Lubenow
Queer Places:
Marlborough College, Bath Rd, Marlborough SN8 1PA, United Kingdom
University of Cambridge, 4 Mill Ln, Cambridge CB2 1RZ
27 Gledhow Gardens, London SW5 0AZ, UK
Crompton Llewelyn Davies (July 13, 1868 – November 23, 1935) was a brilliant, independent-minded lawyer, civil servant, and intellectual whose life intersected with prominent political movements, distinguished academic circles, and the vibrant homosocial networks of late-Victorian and Edwardian Britain.
Born in London on July 13, 1868, he was the fifth son of the Reverend John Llewelyn Davies, a prominent Broad Church divine, translator of Plato's Republic, and Alpine climber, and Mary, the eldest daughter of Mr. Justice Crompton. His family environment was intellectually rigorous and deeply connected to progressive and academic circles. Educated at Marlborough College, he proceeded to Trinity College, Cambridge, on a classical scholarship. His academic career at Cambridge was exceptional: he won the Bell Scholarship in 1888, achieved First Class honors in both parts of the Classical Tripos (Part I in 1889 and Part II in 1891), earned his BA in 1891 followed by an MA in 1895, and was elected a Fellow of Trinity College in 1894.
At Cambridge, Llewelyn Davies became a member of the elite intellectual discussion society known as the Cambridge Apostles, joining a legacy that would deeply involve his family; both his younger brother Theodore Llewelyn Davies and his son Richard Llewellyn-Davies, Baron Llewelyn-Davies, also became Apostles. The Cambridge Apostles provided a crucial space for intimate intellectual exchange, deep emotional bonds, and homosocial networking among elite young men of the era, many of whom maintained complex networks that intersected with early homosexual emancipation, aestheticism, and progressive reform. Following his time at Cambridge, Llewelyn Davies trained as a solicitor. He served his articles in the office headed by Sir John Hollams, later returning as a partner, and spent several years as a partner in the firm of Sir John Withers, M.P. In 1912, he was appointed Solicitor to the Post Office by Sir Herbert Samuel, holding the position through an eventful era that included the Marconi inquiry. However, his tenure in the civil service proved turbulent; his outspoken nature, sharp humor, and independent spirit clashed with bureaucratic norms.
His civil service career came to an abrupt end due to his political convictions and marriage. He had married Mary Elizabeth "Moya" O'Connor, daughter of Irish Member of Parliament James O'Connor, an ardent nationalist and friend of Michael Collins. Llewelyn Davies shared his wife's intense sympathy for the Sinn Féin movement. During the Irish War of Independence, Moya Llewelyn Davies was arrested in Dublin and imprisoned in Mountjoy Prison after a raid by the Black and Tans. During the raid, security forces seized a cache of personal letters sent to her by her husband. Because these letters contained fierce criticisms of British government policy in Ireland, they were handed over to Post Office authorities, who deemed his authorship incompatible with a senior civil servant position, leading to his dismissal. Following his dismissal, Llewelyn Davies joined the prominent City law firm Coward, Chance and Co. as a partner, remaining active in legal practice until his sudden death on November 23, 1935, at his home at 27 Gledhow Gardens in London. Beyond his professional legal career, he was a dedicated advocate for the taxation of land values. He was survived by his wife Moya, his son Richard, and a daughter, leaving behind a legacy as a fiercely independent thinker whose personal and political loyalties continually transcended conventional boundaries.
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The Cambridge Apostles, 1820-1914: Liberalism, Imagination, and Friendship in British Intellectual and Professional Life 1st Edition by W.C. Lubenow |
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