Page 172 - Transcriptions d'actes notariés - Tome 20 - 1682-1686

Bertram Coghill Alan Windle, F.R.S., F.S.A.,
K.s.GI, M.D., LL.D., Ph.D., Sc.D.

E. J. MCCORKELL, C.S.B.,
Pre~iJenr, Poniijïcul lusiituic ci) Medioeta! Sludies, Toronto, Oniorro.

Sir Bertram Windle, scien tist, educatiunist. arid apolugist euriched
our Canadiau eulture duririg the 1920's to an extent whicli the historiau
ean hardly igriore. Alrpady St. hlichael's College in Torouto, ivhere
he spent ~he lüst [en ).cars ul Iiis life as Professor of Anthropology, has
acknowletlged its deht to hini in a pukilic way. Ori May 0th last. ~vhich
was the eentenary of his birth, a sulemri Mass was celebrated in the
Collene ehapel. and a eommemorative addr~s delivered. Windle's years
in Canada ive1 e, however, but the aiterglow, arlniiiledly a f ruitful and
impreesive one, of a remarkable scientific and administrative caieer iii
the British Wes, where aeeordirigly the eentenary was also observed.
Birmingham and Cork had dehis to acknowledre similar to that of
II
loronto, sorne aeeount of whieh must first be given if the sigriifieanee
01 his work in Canada is tu be niade elear. It will ~hcn he seen tliat hr:
came to ~his country cairying his sheaves lur a final harvesting in uur
rnidst.
Bertrarn Cuehill Alari (l' Windle was born on May X, 1058, at
h1a)ficlll in S~aifordshire, Eriglanrl, tvhere hiç fatlier was the Anglican
vicar. He wiis of rnixed English, Irish, and, more rernulely, German
ancestry, a circ:urnstance which may acconnt fur his life-long interest iii
Ethrioliigy. ii.liir:h licgan as a holiliy and u1tiriiati:ly became a serious stud~-,
He had sufficient Irish blootl to buil at the arrogance of assumed Nordic
supeiioritj-, which was a laehion in pre-Hitler days. In any ease despite
his En~lish hirth circumstances dictated that he should become Irish in
.,
sentiment. His father's acceptance of a vicainge in Kingsto~m, Ireland.
when Rertram ivas four years old, determined that the boj2hood asaoci-
ations oi his son should he Irish. Lven the choice for him of an EnglisIi
puhlic school (Repton) , if intended tu rerjress the balai~ee, had precisely
thr opposite efiect, lor he disliked the place intensely, and had to be
nithdrnivn aud entrusted to privüte tuturs to prepare him fur Tiinity
College in Dublin, where he entered as a freshmari iri 1875. Among the
undrrgrailuates lhere he found Ilouglas H>de and ot1iers in whose soiils
thr +rit 01 3 new Irelaiid was atirririg. This exciting milieu, though it

' 1' Tt rrPms ihat oripinally rhc ordr-r of ihe names wae suth tliar ilic iiiitials
i\ rrr 4.0.1:., Iiiir irdriii:: iri lie nicknnme~l AIpliabct Windle, lie clian~ed tlic
nrdrr. )Ir did niii i~iiiirrl: nvoid ihe appcllniion. however, sincf it i?
rr crirdrd ihat 511 Olirrr Lodnr. inrruducin:: hirn Ior an honorary dr~ree at
Hirmiiigham whtn hr alrradi Iiad a dnzen of ~hem, eiied liim as a mail
who had ihc Flrs~ helf ol r!ic alphabrr briole Iiis naiue. and ilie orh~r half
aller it.