1935 – 2026
Distinguished academic Professor William Anthony “Tony” Davenport died on August 25, aged 91. Although Tony had only been a member of Windsor Local History Group since February 2024, his association with it went back many years as a constant support for his wife Hester, who chaired the group until her death in 2013.
Tony was born in Cheshire in 1935 and was the first member of his family to go to university. He studied English at University College London, where he met Hester and, after their marriage in 1960, began his teaching career at the University of Leeds. In 1964 he joined Royal Holloway University of London in Egham, where he stayed for the rest of his working life. He and Hester settled in Old Windsor, which remained their family home, with daughters Imogen and Olivia.
Tony became Professor of English, served as Head of Department and also Dean of Arts and, after his retirement in 2000, was appointed Emeritus Professor of Medieval Literature. He wrote books and numerous essays on subjects ranging across Middle English literature, Chaucer and medieval narrative. His last published work, aptly enough, was an article on Edwin Lutyens and Windsor for Windlesora (39 2025).
Tony was not only a friend but my tutor when I was a mature student at Royal Holloway, and I can testify to his remarkable gifts as a teacher. Personally, I knew him as a wise and entertaining companion, with a fund of knowledge, a sharp eye for an error, and an infectious sense of humour.
The funeral service was held at Slough Crematorium on September 23, a date chosen to mark the 13th anniversary of Hester’s death.
Alison Haymonds
Contributions
“Jubilees That Might Have Been“, published in Windlesora 19 (2002)
“Edwin Lutyens and Windsor“, published in Windlesora 40 (2026)