Littleton Alfred Powys (1902-1954) was born on 30 August 1902 at East Preston, Sussex, the only child of John Cowper Powys (1872-1963) and Margaret Alice Lyon (1874-1947).
Littleton Alfred attended Sherborne Preparatory School, and from September 1916 to July 1920 Sherborne School, where he boarded with housemaster G.M. Carey at Abbey House. During his time at Sherborne School, Littleton Alfred performed in the inter-house Glee competition (1919-20), he also sang in the Chorus of Israelitish Women at the Easter concert in 1918 and at the Commemoration Day concert in 1919. He was a member of the School’s shooting viii team (1919-1920) and was appointed a Lance-Corporal in the School Officers’ Training Corps (OTC). In 1920, he joined the Old Shirburnian Society and remained a member until his death.
Littleton Alfred followed family tradition and went to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, from where he graduated in 1923. He was ordained a priest in 1927. From 1930 to 1936 he served as vice-principal at St Stephen’s House, Oxford (an Anglican theological college), and from 1936 as Rector of Wiston in West Sussex.
During the Second World War, he served as a chaplain to the forces from where in January 1940 he reported that he had got a lovely little chapel “somewhere in France,” with a canteen attached, and if they wanted to keep anything very safe it was put underneath the altar (Worthing Gazette, 10 January 1940).
In May 1940, Littleton Alfred was received into the Roman Catholic Church at St John’s church, Bath. From 1940 to 1944 he attended the Pontifical Beda College in Rome and in June 1944 he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest. From 1944 to 1954 he served as assistant priest at St John’s RC church, Bath. In 1947, he assisted at the funeral of Elizabeth Myers (1912-1947), the second wife of his uncle Littleton Charles Powys (1874-1955), which took place at the Roman Catholic Church at Wesbury in Sherborne.
In 1952, Littleton Alfred was involved in a motorcycle accident which triggered a wasting muscular disease, of which he died on 16 February 1954 at St Teresa’s Private Hospital, Corston, Bath. By a codicil to his will he directed that after his funeral a luncheon with wine should be provided for all priests who attended at a cost of £1 per head.
Littleton Alfred’s poem, ‘Ode to the West Wind’ was published, at the request of his uncle Littleton Charles Powys, in The Shirburnian in Summer 1954. A limited edition of 100 copies of the poem was also published in 1954.
Online resources:
‘Ode to the West Wind’ by Littleton Alfred Powys, January 1954 (pdf)
The Powys Family and Sherborne School
An insight into the Powys family through the diaries of Henry Robinson King by Rachel Hassall, 2020
Books written by or about Old Shirburnians (including by members of the Powys family)
Links:
The Powys Society
The Sundial Press
John Cowper Powys manuscripts and papers, National Library of Wales
The Powys Collection, Dorset History Centre
The Powys Family Collection, University of Exeter
Paintings of Gertrude Powys on the Art UK website
For further information about the Sherborne School Archives please contact the School Archivist.
Return to the School Archives homepage.