The Wykehamist
the process of finding out more about them. Discussions in class flow remarkably easily, she finds, bringing with them that irreplaceable feeling of just“ sitting down and discussing a book”.
Winston Chan( Coll:, 2022-) SALVE DGR
This term, we welcomed the Revd Reid as our new College Chaplain as well as RS don.
A former Hopperite, he read Natural Sciences at Durham— and should this sound like an atypical path towards priesthood, it is. Indeed, only at Durham did he, sceptical of Christianity, encounter fellow students whose faith shone through in their daily lives. This led him to question life, both its nature and its meaning, as well as to ponder religion more deeply.
In his second year at Durham, a fellow student challenged the young sceptic to read the Gospels. Although he initially approached Matthew as a sceptic, he then read Mark, Luke, and John first curious, then interested and finally sympathetic. He deliberated at length, examining carefully the figure of Christ and the veracity of the Bible’ s claims. Such enquiries ultimately developed into a reasoned and reasonable faith to which he has devoted his adult life.
Mr Reid has been a vicar in Oxford for over 20 years, and was a chaplain at Cranleigh School before coming to Winchester. He also enjoys sailing and coaches Boat Club. Above all, he wishes for Wykehamists to ask questions and develop skills of critical thinking that have so heavily shaped his own life.
SALVE JMWW
Dr Willoughby has taken on the roles of
Head Librarian, Beloe’ s house tutor as well as Div don this term, bringing with him a most distinguished career in medieval studies as well as two decades of teaching at Oxford, where he was a Research Fellow in Medieval History at New College. A specialist in palaeography( the study of ancient scripts), he is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and serves on the Comité International de Paléographie Latine.
He first encountered the College some twenty years ago when researching the archives, and recalls being struck by the exceptional richness of its collections. Now responsible for overseeing a library of some 30,000 volumes, he particularly values how the College’ s gift for institutional continuity has preserved books in the collection even from the Founder’ s own day. Alongside his work here, he continues several research projects, including a major catalogue of Lincoln College’ s manuscripts, which contains a lost work of Thomas Aquinas as well as leaves from an Anglo-Saxon gospel-book written at Lindisfarne around 700 AD.
Dr Willoughby’ s life at Winchester has been brightened by spending time in Beloe’ s—“ a very civilised place” with“ excellent company”, even if the novelty of telling boys to go to bed still amuses him. Referring to the College more broadly, he simply says,“ I don’ t think most people realise just how exceptional this place is.”
Kirin Ranpura( K, 2022-)
John Hunt( Coll:, 2023-)
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