E. Clive Rouse
Encyclopedia
Edward Clive Rouse MBE
(born Stroud
, Gloucestershire
, 15 October 1901, died Gerrards Cross
, Buckinghamshire
, 28 July 1997) was an English
archaeologist and writer on archaeology, specializing in mediaeval wall paintings, and was President of the Royal Archaeological Institute
from 1969 to 1972. He was known as Clive Rouse and was always credited as E. Clive Rouse.
, west London
) and his wife Frances Sarah Sams (whose family had been dairymen to Buckingham Palace
), Rouse was educated at St. Ronan's School
, Worthing
, then Gresham's School
, Holt
, and the St Martin's School of Art.
, on their recording and conservation. With assistants, he spent years removing or reducing wax coatings which had mistakenly been added to paintings and reconserving them using authentic materials, particularly slaked lime.
He was also a lecturer and worked to educate clergy and church architects in the care of wall paintings.
He collected Chinese armorial porcelain, and built up the largest private collection in England. He gave away many pieces, some to the Ashmolean Museum
, Oxford
.
He never married and never learnt to drive, preferring to ride a bicycle.
. He was awarded the MBE
for services to the Medmenham
Central Interpretation Unit.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born Stroud
Stroud
Stroud a town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England.Stroud may also refer to:*Stroud, New South Wales, Australia*Stroud, Ontario, Canada*Stroud , Gloucestershire, UK*Stroud...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, 15 October 1901, died Gerrards Cross
Gerrards Cross
Gerrards Cross is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, near the border with Greater London, south of Chalfont St Peter. Gerrards Cross is also a civil parish within South Bucks district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, 28 July 1997) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
archaeologist and writer on archaeology, specializing in mediaeval wall paintings, and was President of the Royal Archaeological Institute
Royal Archaeological Institute
The Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland is a learned society, established in 1844, primarily devoted to the publication of the Archaeological Journal, a production of archaeological news that has been in print since 1844....
from 1969 to 1972. He was known as Clive Rouse and was always credited as E. Clive Rouse.
Background and early life
The son of Edward Foxwell Rouse (a furniture-maker in ActonActon, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
, west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) and his wife Frances Sarah Sams (whose family had been dairymen to Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
), Rouse was educated at St. Ronan's School
St. Ronan's School
Saint Ronan's School is an independent co-educational preparatory school for boys and girls from 3 to 13 years located near Hawkhurst in Kent, England. It currently has about 200 boys and 100 girls, all of them day pupils, although boarding is available from time to time...
, Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, then Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, and the St Martin's School of Art.
Career
After training as an artist, Rouse developed a passion for mediaeval wall paintings and worked with E.W. Tristram, Professor of Design at the Royal College of ArtRoyal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
, on their recording and conservation. With assistants, he spent years removing or reducing wax coatings which had mistakenly been added to paintings and reconserving them using authentic materials, particularly slaked lime.
He was also a lecturer and worked to educate clergy and church architects in the care of wall paintings.
He collected Chinese armorial porcelain, and built up the largest private collection in England. He gave away many pieces, some to the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
He never married and never learnt to drive, preferring to ride a bicycle.
War Service
Rouse served from 1939 to 1945 with the Intelligence unit of the Royal Air Force Volunteer ReserveRoyal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
. He was awarded the MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to the Medmenham
RAF Medmenham
RAF Medmenham was a Royal Air Force station based at Danesfield House near Medmenham, in Buckinghamshire, England.Activities there specialized in photographic intelligence, and it was once the home of the RAF Intelligence Branch...
Central Interpretation Unit.
Publications
- Guide to Buckinghamshire (1935)
- The Old Towns of England (1936)
- Collins Guide to English Parish Churches (1958)
- Discovering Wall Paintings (1968)
- Mediaeval Wall Paintings (1991, reprinted 1996)
Honours and other positions
- Fellow of the Society of AntiquariesSociety of Antiquaries of LondonThe Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, 1937 - Member of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, 1946 - FRSA 1968
- Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of FishmongersWorshipful Company of FishmongersThe Worshipful Company of Fishmongers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London, being a guild of the sellers of fish and seafood in the City...
, 1962 - Vice-President, Royal Archaeological InstituteRoyal Archaeological InstituteThe Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland is a learned society, established in 1844, primarily devoted to the publication of the Archaeological Journal, a production of archaeological news that has been in print since 1844....
, 1965-1969 - President, Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society, 1969-1979
- President, Royal Archaeological Institute, 1969-1972
- Honorary DLitt, University of SussexUniversity of SussexThe University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
, 1983