Arthur William Clayden

Arthur William Clayden (12 December 1855 - 12 February 1944) was an English Earth scientist and natural historian, known for being the first Principal of the Royal Albert Memorial College, Exeter, predecessor of the present day University of Exeter.

Early life and education

Clayden was born on 12 December 1855 in Boston, Lincolnshire. His father was Peter Clayden, a Unitarian Minister and political journalist. His mother Jane (née Fowle) was his father's first wife. Clayden shared his first name with his uncle, Arthur Clayden, who was his father’s younger brother.

Clayden was educated at University College School, followed by Christ's College, Cambridge, where he sat the Natural Sciences Tripos. He graduated with a BA in 1877, which was upgraded to an MA (Cantab) in 1880.

Academic career

From 1878 to 1887, Clayden worked as Science Master at Bath College. From 1887 to 1893, he was an "Extension Lecturer", officially employed by University of Cambridge. This role involved Clayden giving "outreach" academic lectures to different community groups.

In 1893, Exeter Technical and University Extension College was founded at what is now Royal Albert Memorial Museum. This college was the predecessor of the present day University of Exeter, and Clayden was appointed as the college's first principal as well as its chair of Physics and Geology. His teaching was referenced in the biography of Ernest Kennaway by James Wilfred Cook (who became the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter after it was granted royal charter in 1955):Not long before [Kennaway’s] death, he wrote to me in the following terms about A. W. Clayden, a former head of the institution which is now the University of Exeter: ‘In the nineties he was my first instructor in Chemistry and in his favourite subjects of physiography and geology, of which he was an absolute born teacher; I have never enjoyed any teaching more than his.’ (Cook, 1958)During his tenure as principal, the college building saw numerous extensions, and in 1899, a new wing was built, opened by the then Duke and Duchess of York (later King George V and Queen Mary), who also commended the college's achievement. The royal visit also led to the college being renamed Royal Albert Memorial College.