Letter from Archbishop Benson, Addington Park, Croydon, to William Angus Knight, 1887 September 3 : autograph manuscript signed.

Relating his memories of Principal Shairp from his days at Rugby; relating, at length and in detail, his memories of him and of Shairp's fellow Masters at Rugby; saying "He was most kind and warm to me from the first, and for my six years there I knew him intimately - He was very fond of riding a fine horse in the company of a Scotch Staghound of great power and beauty, which, as we went along roads or through fields cleared the highest Warwickshire hedges of that time in steady succession - In these rides, as well as in walking up and down the close he would get quite lost in discussing Coleridge, points about Wordsworth, defining Imagination and Fancy...He was unconventional in his look with his cap far back and his gown carried till he got into the school over his arm - And besides, there was generally a look out kept by his form in the hope that he might be a quarter of an hour late, at which moment the tradition allowed them to depart in all directions. His form loved at once his genial fresh sunny face, and fine stature and fatherly tone, and the penetrated reverence & gravity with which he spoke of anything serious or read the Bible with them;" relating Shairp's love of teaching the history of Scotland and discussing his theological views; concluding "He was an admirable element in our very bright happy industrious Rugby life with its spaces of recreation - Both his enjoyment of country and country life and his interest in abstract discussions and in non-scholastic literature came with great freshness over our own work and that of the boys many of whom, before it was made a part of regular school-course took a very vivid and original interest in books which then lay off the path of common teaching. And on the whole I go back to saying that it was the whole man, which was very complete in its type, which impressed one more than any particular things he said and did. I wish this fragmentary broken memory of a most truehearted friend and bright example were worthy of him - I have just tried to jot down what I really saw and was made to feel without harmonizing it - I hope you will at any rate have no scruple in breaking it up, if there is anything in it of use, and none in setting it quite aside."