Percy Anstey (25 February 1876 – 23 November 1920) was a British stage actor of the early 20th-century who later studied

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

and became a lecturer and college Principal in India. He was born as Percival Louis Page in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1876, the son of Mary Louisa ''née'' Anstey (1838–1895) and Captain Andrew Mathew Adolph Page (1837–1890), an army officerChristopher T. Husbands
''Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science, 1904–2015''
Palgrave MacMillan (2019)- Google Books p. 238 who separated from his wife soon after the birth of his son to go to Australia where he was appointed Secretary and Inspector of the Board for the Protection of Aborigines. He remained in Australia for the rest of his life.

Stage career

Taking his mother's maiden name as his stage name, his theatre appearances include: Captain Cornelius Vandam/Messenger in ''Bonnie Dundee'' at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

(1899–1900), Marzo opposite

Harley Granville-Barker Harley Granville-Barker (25 November 1877 – 31 August 1946) was an English actor, director, playwright, manager, critic, and theorist. After early success as an actor in the plays of George Bernard Shaw, he increasingly turned to directi ...

and Laurence Irving in '' Captain Brassbound's Conversion'' at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began development ...

(1900), and ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' at the Lecture Hall,

Burlington Gardens Burlington Gardens is a street in central London, on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate. Location The street is immediately to the north of the Royal Academy of Arts and joins Old Bond Street and New Bond Street in the west and V ...

in London (1902–1903). In 1902 he joined the company of

John Martin-Harvey Sir John Martin-Harvey (22 June 1863 – 14 May 1944), known before his knighthood in 1921 as John Martin Harvey, was an English stage actor-manager. Born in Bath Street, Wivenhoe, Essex, he was the son of John Harvey, a yacht-designer an ...

in a tour of the United States acting in ''A Cigarette Maker's Romance''/''Rouget De L'Isle'', ''The Children of Kings'' and ''The Only Way''. With Martin-Harvey he toured the provinces of Britain in ''A Cigarette Maker’s Romance'', ''The Only Way'', ''The Breed of the Treshams'' and ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', (1903-1904), ''Hamlet'' at the Lyric Theatre (1904-1905), and '' Eugene Aram'' on tour including at the Prince's Theatre, Bristol (1905-1906). His affair with the actress

Amy Coleridge Amy Coleridge (25 May 1864 – 4 August 1951) was a British actress who had a successful career playing in Shakespeare's plays in South Africa as well as in her home country. She acted in the companies of Henry Irving and John Martin-Harvey. ...

who had also been on Martin-Harvey's American tour with her husband the actor

William Haviland William Haviland (1718 – 16 September 1784) was an Irish-born general in the British Army. He is best known for his service in North America during the Seven Years' War. Life William Haviland was born in Ireland in 1718. He entered milita ...

lead to her divorce from her husband in 1904. In 1906 Anstey and Coleridge married.

Move to India

Anstey left his acting career to study

at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

where he was President of the Students' Union, taking his

B.Sc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in 1910Dr Vera Anstey – “so absolutely sane, clear, quick, intelligent & safe”
-

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

website and by 1911 was a lecturer in Economics at

Sheffield University , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

before serving as the head of the Economics department at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

. In 1912 Anstey was appointed tutor of the Workers' Educational Association with a £30 a year grant made to the class by the University of Bristol. In 1913 after divorcing his first wife he married Vera Powell, the economist and noted expert on the economy of India. All three of their children were born in India after he joined the Bombay Educational Department and took the role of Principal at the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

in March 1914 accompanied by his wife. In June 1914 he was appointed Principal and Professor of English at the college, and in February 1916 was appointed Principal and Professor of Economic Theory and History. In 1917 with Professors C. J. Hamilton and

Gilbert Slater Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South A ...

he co-founded the Indian Economic Association (IEA), the oldest and largest organisation of professional economists and policy makers in India. He and Arthur Anstey, their youngest child, died in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

in India from

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

during November 1920. In his will he left just £138 2s 2d to his widowEngland & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Percy Louis Anstey 1921 - Ancestry.com
/ref> which resulted in

Vera Anstey Vera Anstey (; 3 January 1889 – 26 November 1976) was a British economist and noted expert on the economy of India. Anstey is most closely associated with the London School of Economics where she served as a lecturer and chaired the admi ...

returning to the United Kingdom with their two surviving children, Mary Anstey (1916–) and the psychologist

Edgar Anstey Edgar Anstey (16 February 1907 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England – 26 September 1987 in London, England), was a leading British documentary film-maker. Anstey was educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys and Birkbeck College. He spent ...

(1917–2009). She needing a job to support herself and her two children, took a role as an assistant lecturer in Economic History at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

in 1921.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anstey, Percy 1876 births 1920 deaths Male actors from Paris English male stage actors English male Shakespearean actors 19th-century English male actors 20th-century English male actors Alumni of the London School of Economics Workers' Educational Association British people in colonial India English economists Academics of the University of Sheffield Academics of the University of Bristol University of Mumbai faculty Deaths from cholera