Obituary of Charles Montague Weekley, FSA
Charles Montague Weekley (1900–82) joined the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1924 in the Department of Circulation. In 1946 he was appointed Officer-in-Charge of the Bethnal Green Museum (now the Museum of Childhood), in which capacity he made many changes, including improving the Children's Section.
From The Times, 3 February 1982
Mr C M Weekley, FSA, formerly Officer-in-Charge of the Bethnal Green Museum, London, died in hospital in London on January 30. He was 81.
Charles Montague Weekley, only son of Professor Ernest Weekley of University College, Nottingham, the eminent philologist and popular writer on etymology, was born on 15 June, 1900. His mother was Baroness Frieda von Richthofen of Metz, a cousin of the famous 'Red Baron', the German flying ace of the First World War. Her elopement in 1912 with the writer D H Lawrence, who she subsequently married, was to leave a severe emotional scar on a sensitive man.
After education at St Paul's School where he was a scholar and leaving exhibitioner and St John's College, Oxford (where he won his Blue for the mile), he worked briefly for Yardley and Courtaulds but in 1924 entered the Department of Circulation at the Victoria and Albert Museum. He was to join the museum at the same time as his lifelong friend Charles Oman whose own obituary appeared in 'The Times' on 29 January. Weekley was to edit Oman's book on English silver in the 'Library of English Art' series of which he was general editor.
In the Second World War he served with several Ministries. Having made a complete recovery from tuberculosis, he was appointed Officer-in-Charge of the Bethnal Green Museum in 1946. He completely reorganised the galleries, rationalised the collections and presented an effective selection of paintings and objects of English make, silver, glass, ceramics and so forth, demonstrating the history of English craftsmanship. A particular joy to him was to be able to improve and add to the now-famous Children's Section which attracts visitors from all over the world.
His interest extended to minutiae and among his published work was a definitive biography of Thomas Bewick, the Northumbrian wood engraver published by OUP in 1953. Before this he had written a biography of William Morris in Duckworth's 'Great Lives' series.
An ardent Londoner, he had intended to write and made many notes for a history of the City which he hoped to call 'The Square Mile'. He was active mentally and physically to within a short time of his death. His wife, formerly Vera Ross, the landscape and figure artist, died in 1973. He leaves a daughter, son and three grandchildren.
Reproduced with kind permission of The Times
©Times Newspapers Limited
