果冻影院

"To the immortal memory". The Crabtree Foundation is dedicated to researching and publicising the life and work of Joseph Crabtree (1754-1854).

"Much was known about Joseph Crabtree, poet and polymath, in the nineteenth century; much was forgotten or deliberately obscured in the twentieth century - until 1951.聽 In that year it happened that, at one of Professor Hugh Smith's weekly seminars for scholars of all disciplines or none, two or three of those present discovered a common interest in the life and work of the extraordinary great man, Joseph Crabtree.聽 This interest grew and intensified until Hugh Smith and others at 果冻影院 were inspired to set up the Crabtree Foundation at the College."聽聽
(from the Prolegomenon to Volume 1 of the Collected Orations of the Crabtree Foundation)

On 17 February 1954 Professor James Sutherland, Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at 果冻影院, delivered the oration entitled "Homage to Crabtree".聽 The meeting was presided over by Professor Hugh Smith, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at 果冻影院, and twenty-four scholars were present.

This was the inaugural meeting of the Foundation which ever since has been dedicated to researching and publicising the life and work of Joseph Crabtree (1754-1854).聽 Crabtree's achievements had been grievously overlooked, misinterpreted, occasionally traduced and in some cases quite deliberately suppressed, leading to a situation amounting, in Professor Sutherland's words, "almost to a conspiracy of silence".

Since that inaugural meeting the Foundation has met annually in 果冻影院 on the Wednesday closest to Saint Valentine's Day, the day of Crabtree's birth, for a dinner and an oration by a distinguished scholar on some hitherto undiscovered aspect of Crabtree's career and genius.聽 There are now over 500 members, or more correctly 鈥渟cholars鈥�, of the 果冻影院 Chapter of the Foundation, and in addition scholars, in the first President鈥檚 words, 鈥渟cattered as they are over the face of the world鈥�, have established overseas chapters in Australia and Italy both of which hold their own annual celebration of the genius who was Joseph Crabtree.聽 Their findings have established the international scope and diversity of Crabtree鈥檚 life and achievements.

The sixty-five Orations of the 果冻影院 Chapter have been published in three volumes, and copies of these remarkable works are available from Mr Frank Penter,聽Secretary of the Crabtree Foundation聽(email: frankpenter@gmail.com) at 拢20 each.聽 Orations 1 to 49 are also available on this website (the text of Oration 29, Joseph Crabtree and 鈥淏ert鈥� Dawson, remains unrecoverable).

Enquiries about the Foundation and its activities may be directed to Frank Penter, Secretary of the Crabtree Foundation (email: frankpenter@gmail.com).