R. P. Keigwin


Richard Prescott Keigwin was an English academic. He also played first-class cricket for Cambridge University, the Marylebone Cricket Club, Essex County Cricket Club and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, and played hockey for Essex and England.

Early life and education

Keigwin was born in Lexden in Essex and educated at Clifton College in Bristol.
He studied at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he gained an MA in the Classics and Modern Languages Tripos. He was the editor of The Granta in 1919.

Sporting achievements

Whilst at Clifton, Keigwin partnered AEJ Collins in the school racquets pair and he captained the school cricket XI for 1902-3 when Collins also played.
In March 1903 Keigwin was runner-up at the Cambridge University's Freshmen's Lawn Tennis Tournament, losing in the final in two straight sets to future Wimbledon champion Tony Wilding without winning a game.
In addition to playing for the Marylebone Cricket Club at cricket, he also represented Cambridge University at cricket, rackets, football and hockey. He played hockey for Essex and England, and cricket and tennis for Gloucestershire. He also played for the Free Foresters against the Netherlands cricket XI in the 1920s, although he did not appear for Free Foresters at first-class level.
After the First World War, as a result of Keigwin's interest in Danish cricket, the game in Denmark picked up whilst he lived there and British cricket teams began visiting Denmark more frequently - these teams included the Marylebone Cricket Club, Leicestershire, Incogniti, Gentlemen of Worcestershire and Sir Julien Cahn's XI.
Keigwin's best bowling figures in first-class cricket were 8/79 against Sussex in 1903.
A year later, he scored his only first-class hundred, for Cambridge against Warwickshire.
His brothers, Herbert Keigwin and Henry Keigwin both also played first-class cricket.

War service and honours

In the first world war he was a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve serving on the battlecruiser HMS Indomitable and stationed off the Belgian coast. He was present at the surrender of the German fleet. He was created a Chevalier of Belgian Order of Léopold, Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog by HM King Christian X of Denmark and awarded King Christian X's medal for "Valuable assistance rendered to Denmark during the war."

Published works

Keigwin was a noted translator of Danish into English:
Keigwin also contributed to Centenary Essays On Clifton College.

Occupation

Keigwin taught modern languages at the Royal Naval College, Osborne, and taught at Clifton College from 1919, as an assistant master. He was House Tutor of Watson's House at Clifton College in 1919 and 1920, and was the Housemaster of Dakyns' House from 1920 until 1935. Between 1935 and 1945, he was Warden of Wills Hall at Bristol University.
He was President of the Old Cliftonian Society from 1957 to 1959, and a Governor of Clifton College.
He died at Polstead in Suffolk and is buried in the churchyard of St Mary.
, Suffolk