Arthur Edward Pearse Brome Weigall (1880 – 3 January 1934) was an English

Egyptologist Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , ''-logia''; ) is the scientific study of ancient Egypt. The topics studied include ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end ...

, stage designer, journalist and author whose works span the whole range from histories of

Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

through historical biographies, guide-books, popular novels, screenplays and lyrics.

Biography

Arthur Weigall was born in the year in which his father, Major Arthur Archibald Denne Weigall, died on the North West Frontier of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. The Weigall family were prominent in Victorian society as artists, marrying into the aristocracy; his cousins were Conservative politician Sir Archibald Weigall, 1st Baronet,

Governor of South Australia The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the monarch, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-general of Aust ...

from 1920 to 1922, and the cricketers

Gerry Gerry is both a surname and a masculine or feminine given name. As a given name, it is often a short form (hypocorism) of Gerard, Gerald or Geraldine. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), fifth US vice pres ...

and Louis Weigall. As a young widow, his mother, the former Alice Henrietta Cowen, worked as a missionary in the inner-city slums of late-Victorian England. Arthur Weigall went from an unconventional home life in

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

to Wellington College, a school with strong establishment and military connections. He started work as an apprentice clerk in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

, but a youthful fascination with

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

led him to the

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

s of

and so into

Egyptology Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Ancient Greek, Greek , ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia''; ) is the scientific study of ancient Egypt. The topics studied include ancient Egyptian History of Egypt, history, Egyptian language, language, Ancient Egypt ...

. A mysterious patroness encouraged him to apply for

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

. This was a mistake (

was not yet studied at Oxford) so before completing his admission tests he went on to

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

, hoping to learn German and then enrol in a German university.Julie Hankey, ''A Passion for Egypt: Arthur Weigall, Tutankhamun and the 'Curse of the Pharaohs'', Londra 2007, TPP, pp. 24–25. This didn't happen, and on his return to England Weigall found work with Egyptologist

Flinders Petrie Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie ( – ), commonly known as simply Sir Flinders Petrie, was an English people, English Egyptology, Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts. ...

, first at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

and then at Abydos in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Life with

was notoriously harsh, and after a while Arthur Weigall went to work for Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing, a German Egyptologist. In early 1905

Howard Carter Howard Carter (9 May 18742 March 1939) was a British archaeologist and Egyptology, Egyptologist who Discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, discovered Tomb of Tutankhamun, the intact tomb of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty Pharaoh ...

was staying with Arthur Weigall at

Saqqara Saqqara ( : saqqāra ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for ...

when after an incident with some French tourists,

was forced to resign his post as Chief Inspector of Antiquities for Upper Egypt. Suddenly, at the age of 25, Arthur Weigall was appointed to replace

Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...

, responsible for protecting and managing the antiquities of a region that extended from

Nag Hammadi Nag Hammadi ( ; ) is a city and Markaz (administrative division), markaz in Upper Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile in the Qena Governorate, about north-west of Luxor. The city had a population of close to 61,737 . History ...

to the border with

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

. At

, Weigall threw himself with immense energy into aspects of the job that in his view had been somewhat neglected – the protection and conservation of monuments that were steadily being bought up and moved to Europe and North America. He remained in

until 1911. This was a time of intense activity for Weigall, both in the field and in writing. He participated in the discoveries of KV46 (the tomb of

Yuya Yuya (sometimes Iouiya, or Yuaa, also known as Yaa, Ya, Yiya, Yayi, Yu, Yuyu, Yaya, Yiay, Yia, and Yuy) was a powerful ancient Egyptian courtier during the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt ( 1390 BC). He was married to Thuya, an Egyptian noblewoman a ...

and Tjuyu), TT8 (the tomb of Kha and Merit),

KV55 KV55 is a tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It was discovered by Edward R. Ayrton in 1907 while he was working in the Valley for Theodore M. Davis. It has long been speculated, as well as much disputed, that the body found in this tomb ...

(a mysterious tomb whose contents are still debated), and

KV57 Tomb KV57 is the royal tomb of Horemheb, the last pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty and is located in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. The tomb was located by Edward R. Ayrton, Edward Ayrton in February 1908 for Theod ...

(the tomb of

Horemheb Horemheb, also spelled Horemhab, Haremheb or Haremhab (, meaning "Horus is in Jubilation"), was the last pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty of Egypt (1550–1292 BC). He ruled for at least 14 years between 1319 ...

). Weigall also travelled in the

Eastern Desert The Eastern Desert (known archaically as Arabia or the Arabian Desert) is the part of the Sahara Desert that is located east of the Nile River. It spans of northeastern Africa and is bordered by the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea to the east, a ...

, wrote a popular biography of

Akhenaten Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Akhenaton or Echnaton ( ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning 'Effective for the Aten'), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eig ...

, and worked on a ''Guide to the Antiquities of Upper Egypt''. He worked with

Alan Gardiner Sir Alan Henderson Gardiner, (29 March 1879 – 19 December 1963) was an English Egyptologist, linguist, philologist, and independent scholar. He is regarded as one of the premier Egyptologists of the early and mid-20th century. Personal li ...

on the tombs of the nobles and may well have helped

to the placement with Lord Carnarvon that led to the discovery of the tomb of

Tutankhamun Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...

. He was deeply enmeshed in the bureaucratic and social entanglements of

and

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, coming into close contact with

, Gaston Maspero, Theodore Davis, Percy Newberry,

and others, and making friends with Sir Ronald Storrs and the wider

Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

society in

. However, a breakdown took him from

, and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

cut off his plans to create an institute of

for Egyptians. In

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

during

Arthur Weigall became a successful set-designer for the London revue stage. An association with

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

began: he worked with

Bannister Merwin Henry Bannister Merwin (1873 – 22 February 1922), was an American poet, magazine editor, novelist, film director and screenwriter during the silent era. He wrote as many as 141 films between 1909 in film, 1909 and 1921 in film, 1921. He w ...

Jack Buchanan Walter John Buchanan (2 April 1890 – 20 October 1957) was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George Gr ...

, and Phyllis Monkman on the film '' Her Heritage'' (1919), and in the 1920s Lord Northcliffe appointed him film critic for the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...

.'' Later, one of his novels was made into the film '' Burning Sands'' (1922) by the producer

George Melford George H. Melford (born George Henry Knauff, February 19, 1877 – April 25, 1961) was an American stage and film actor and director. Often taken for granted as a director today, the stalwart Melford's name by the 1920s was, like Cecil B. DeMil ...

. Journalism brought him back to

. He covered the opening of the tomb of

as correspondent for the ''

, ''in direct opposition to

and Lord Carnarvon's attempts with ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''to monopolise the story, which Weigall regarded as both wrong and politically damaging to British relations with

at a time of strong nationalist feeling. At the tomb of

he saw Lord Carnarvon joke as he prepared to enter the tomb, and is reported as saying 'if he goes down in that spirit, I give him six weeks to live'. Arthur Weigall died in 1934. During his first marriage to Hortense Schleiter, an American, he wrote vivid personal accounts of his life in

and

Upper Egypt Upper Egypt ( ', shortened to , , locally: ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel North. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake N ...

. His second marriage (to the pianist Muriel Lillie, sister of the comedian

Beatrice Lillie Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1989) was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedy performer. She began to perform as a child with her mother and sister. She made her West End debut in 1914 and soon gain ...

) returned him to the world of show business as a talented writer of lyrics.

Selected publications

* ''A Report on the Antiquities of Lower Nubia'', Thornton Butterworth, London, 1907
''A Catalogue of the Weights and Balances in the Cairo Museum''
1908
''A Treasury of Ancient Egypt''
Rand McNally & Company, Chicago and New York, 1913
''Travels in the Upper Egyptian Deserts''
William Blackwood and Sons, London, 1913
''The Life and Times of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt''
G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1914 * Arthur Weigal
''A History of Events in Egypt from 1798 to 1914''
William Blackwood and Sons, London, 1915 * ''Madeline of the Desert'', 1920
''The Life and Times of Marc Antony''
Garden City Publishing Company. New York, 1921
''Bedouin Love''
George H. Doran Company, New York, 1922
''The Life and Times of Akhnaton''
Thornton Butterworth, London, 1922, reprinted 2000,
''The Glory of the Pharaohs''
Thornton Butterworth, London, first published March 1923, reprinted 1923, First impression Keystone library, 1936 * ''Tutankhamen And Other Essays'', Thornton Butterworth Ltd., London, first published November 1923 * ''A History of the Pharaohs'', Thornton Butterworth Ltd., London, 1925
Volume 1 - The First Eleven DynastiesVolume 2 - The 12th to 18th Dynasties
* ''Wanderings in Roman Britain'', Thornton Butterworth, London, 1926
''Wanderings in Anglo-Saxon Britain''
George H. Doran Company, New York, 1927 * * ''Personalities of Antiquity'', Doubleday, Doran, & company, 1928. * ''Paganism in Our Christianity'', orig. pub. 1928, Kessinger Publishing 2003 reprint, * ''Sapho of Lesbos: Her Life and Times'', Thornton Butterworth, London, 1932 * ''Alexander The Great'', 1933. * ''Laura Was My Camel'', Thornton Butterworth Ltd, London, 1933
''Nero: Emperor of Rome''
Thornton Butterworth, London, 1933
''A Short History of Ancient Egypt''
Chapman & Hall, London, 1934 * ''The Dweller in the Desert'' * ''A Guide to the Antiquities of Egypt'',

References

External links

* * *
A page about the biography of Arthur Weigall

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weigall, Arthur 1880 births 1934 deaths 20th-century English writers 20th-century English archaeologists Academics of University College London English Egyptologists

Biography

Selected publications

References

Further reading

External links