An eminent cleric and at one time one of the country's foremost classical scholars. Cruttwell was appointed Headmaster of Bradfield School in 1878 and in 1880 took up the same position at Malvern. While at the latter he married the daughter of Sir Robert Mowbray, who was known as the 'Father' of the House of Commons. In 1891 he accepted the College Living of Kibworth-Beauchamp, Leicestershire, where he was made Rural Dean, Honorary Canon of Peterborough, and Proctor in Convocation. In 1901 the Marquis of Salisbury nominated him to the Crown Living of Ewelme, and in 1903 he was given a residentiary Canonry at Peterborough. Writing Cruttwell's obituary in EMM., 47, 1911, p.114, W.W.Fowler recorded that entomology was his favourite hobby and that he was 'an extremely keen collector' of both Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. 'His friend and colleague at Merton College [where he was a Fellow and Tutor], the late Bishop Creighton of London, looked with disfavour on his Natural History pursuit ... and tried to dissuade him from going on with them, but, as he said when relating the incident to the writer of this notice, the love of natural history was bred in him, and he told the Bishop that he could not give it up.'Lott (2009) p.21 notes that Cruttwell was an original member of the Leicester Entomological Club who, although he published no records of beetles during his time in Leicestershire, was credited by Bouskell with working on Leicestershire beetles. There are many references to specimens collected by Crutwell in Morley (1899) and there is a small collection made by him in Leicester Museum which was acquired by exchange from Peterborough Museum (acc. n. Z1197.1978). There is an obituaru by F.A.Dixey in ERJV, 23, 1911, pp.183-84 . (MD 4/02, 11/09)
Dates
1848? - 4 April 1911