THE DEAN OF WESTMINSTER

The Dean of Westminster is the head of the chapter at Westminster Abbey. Due to the Abbey's status as a Royal Peculiar, the dean answers directly to the Queen, not to the Bishop of London, nor to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In particular, we are going to analyse the figure of the Dean of Westminster during WW1: Herbert Edward Ryle.

Ryle was born on 25^th May 1856. His mother died when he was only three years old. He goes on studying around the England, reaching distinctions as student of theology in Cambridge. In April 1881, he began a career of twenty years as a teacher. He was ordained deacon in 1882 and priest in 1883. On 15^th August 1883 he married Nea Hewish Adams. They had three sons, but two of them died very young.

In December 1910 Ryle was appointed Dean of Westminster, but he was installed in Westminster Abbey in April 1911, when the building was being prepared for the coronation of King George V. Ryle acquired prestige.

During World War I, he was responsible for the many special services held in wartime.

In 1916, the Reverend David Railton first conceived the idea of the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. He wrote to Dean Ryle in 1920, proposing that an unidentified British soldier from the battlefields in France be buried with due ceremony in Westminster Abbey "amongst the kings" to represent the many hundreds of thousands of Empire dead. The idea was strongly supported by Ryle and the Prime Minister Lloyd George. So, Ryle composed the inscription on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

He died in Deanery on 20^th August 1925 and he was buried on 25^th August in Westminster Abbey.