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Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society

Providing lectures at the cutting edge
of modern thinking since 1835

Current President
(2024 - 2025):
Mr Nigel Siesage, JP, MA

Nigel is a retired senior higher education manager. He was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford, and at Lincoln College Oxford, where he read history. He joined the civil service, but returned to Oxford to carry out research, which was curtailed by ill health.

In 1981 he joined the University of Leicester, initially to organise the University's Jubilee Year. He subsequently held several posts, in planning and governance, and then as the University's first Director of External Relations. He was instrumental, with academic colleagues, in developing the proposal for the National Space Centre in Leicester, successfully advocating its adoption by the Millennium Commission. He was a Trustee of the organisation for several years.

From 2002 he led the administration of the University's Medical School and related departments. He was closely involved in running the UK Clinical Aptitude Test, used for admission to UK medical schools, serving as chairman for nine years and leading its expansion overseas, particularly to Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

He retired in 2019 but retained honorary positions as University Fellow and Public Orator. He is a magistrate, a member of the Parochial Church Council of St Mary Magdalen, Knighton, and edited the Society's Transactions from 2020.

Nigel enjoys cycling and walking. He is married to Susan, a retired headteacher, and they have two children.


Past Presidents

An archive of the profiles of all the past presidents, including photographs and short biographies is available in PDF format by clicking here.

Here is a list of past presidents in reverse date order:

2023 - 24: Mr Michael Taylor

2022-23: Professor Sir Kent Woods

2021-22: Dr Bridget Towle

2019-20: Mrs Gillian Johnston

2018-19: Professor Nigel Wood

2017-18: Professor Sir Kent Woods

2016-17: Prof Alison Yarrington

2015-16: Mrs Joan Beeson

2014-15: Mrs Ann Fuchs

2013-14: Mr Michael Taylor

2012-13: Mr Kanti Chhapi DipArch

2011-12: Prof John Fothergill

2010-11: Prof Martin Stannard

2009-10: Mrs KJ Humphreys MA

2008-09: Mr Richard Gill MA

2007-08: Mrs Alwyne Dean BA

2006-07: Mr B D Beeson

2005-06: Dr Michael G F Crowe MA MB B Chir FRCGP

2004-05: Mr Davinder PS Sandhu MB BS MD FRCS (Ed Urol) FRCS (Eng & Glas)

2003-04: Mr.Michael Kirk OBE FCA

2002-03: Dr David Bethel CBE LLD D Litt D ED

2001-02: Canon Michael Wilson MA MBA

2000-01: Mrs Hilary A E Lewis JP MA

1999-2000: Richard, Lord Attenborough CBE

1998-99: Mr John Martin BSc AMA

1997-98: Grant Pitches MA ARIBA

1996-97: Professor John H Holloway BSc PhD DSc C Chem FRSC

1995-96: Ormond K Smyth JP MA MIPR

1994-95: The Venerable Thomas Hughie Jones MA BD LL M

1993-94: John Eagle Higginbotham MA

1992-93: M H Bailey MA

1991-92: John Florance BA PhD

1990-91: Edmund Kendall Clark OBE BSc

1989-90: Peter Henry Andrews Sneath FRS MA MD MRCS LRCP

1988-89: David Geoffrey Lewis MA MD B Chir FFARCS

1987-88: M Aftab Khan BSc PhD FGS FRAS

1986-87: Archibald F Orton, BA

1985-86: Leonard Lloyd-Smith JP Dip Arch FRIBA

1984-85: M A Baatz MA FSA

1983-84: Mrs R R Williams FRGS

1982-83: Dr Trevor David Ford, BSc PhD FGS

1981-82.: Patrick John Boylan Esq B Sc FGS FMA MBIM

1980-81: F Ivan Tarratt Esq TD FGA

1979-80: B A Fisher MA L-es-L PhD

1978-79: Mrs Jennie B Cameron BEM

1977-78: Rev Canon Dudley William Gundry BD MTh

1976-77: Conal P Alexander MB BS FRCP

1975-76: Miss K M Stanton JP MA

1974-75: Professor P C Sylvester Bradley B Sc FRGS

1973-74: Howard N T Staunton MA

1972-73: L C Hamer Esq

1971-72: The Very Reverend John Chester Hughes MA

1970-71: E J F Fortune

1969-70: Dr E Thomas B Sc

1968-69: Mrs F Russell LRAM

1967-68: Dr Maurice L Millard MB ChB

1966-67: R Paine BA

1965-66: Arthur R Humphreys MA AM

1964-65: Rev Arthur H Kirkby MA BD PhD

1963-64: Lt Col J B Potter TD

1962-63.: R M Evans

1961-62: J N Pickard JP BA

1960-61: Miss N Waddington BA

1959-60: Trevor A Walden FMA

1958-59: H Holmes

1957-58: Clement C Ogden FRIBA

1956-57: E Tyler

1955-56: C Gimson

1954-55: Richard L Ager MA

1953-54: J Milne

1952-53: Arthur E L Vial FRPS

1951-52: K Holmes OBE ARCA

1950-51: C R Frears MA JP

1949-50: Reverend H A Jones BSc

1948-49: Selwyn E Tanner MD

1947-48: H A Buckler

1946-47: George Tarratt

1939-46: Frederick L Attenborough

1938-39: Reverend A S Hurn MA D Litt

1937-38: P W Bryan BSc PhD

1936-37: A L Macleod/Mcleod MA MB

1935-36: Charles John Bond CMG FRCS

1934-35: Colin D B Ellis MC MA

1933-34: Neville I Spriggs MD FRCS

1932-33: H Percy Gee, JP

1931-32: E Lewis Lilley, MB BS FRCS

1930-31: Waller K Bedingfield FRIBA

1929-30: Thomas Kingdom MA

1928-29: Charles Squire

1927-28: William Keay FRIBA FSI M Inst C E

1926-27: Arthur Thomas Kerslake OBE BA

1925-26: Rev’d Canon J H Jacques MA

1924-25: Robert F Rattray MA PhD

1923-24: Miss Margaret Gimson

1922-23: E E Lowe B Sc

1921-22: Robert Wallace Henry MD

1920-21: Harry Hardy Peach

1919-20: Benjamin J Fletcher

1918-19: John Alfred Hopps

1917-18: Charles Killick Millard MD D Sc

1916-17: Bernard Ellis

1915-16: George Cresswell Turner FLS

1914-15: William Arthur Evans

1913-14: Agnes Archer Evans (Mrs William Evans) (née Kilgour)

1912-13: Astley Vavsour Clarke BA MD Catab

1911-12: Frederick Barnes Lott MA

1910-11: Rev Walte r Godfrey Whittingham MA

1909-10: William Alport Brockington MA

1908-09: Rev T W Hodge MA

1907-08: George Cooper Franklin LLD FRCS

1906-07: Herbert Ellis

1905-06: Samuel Perkins Pick FRIBA

1904-05: Frederick William Bennett MD BSc

1903-04: Reginald Pratt, MD

1902-03: Rev J Hilton Molesworth MA

1901-02: Charles John Bond

1900-91: Josiah Mentor Gimson

1899-1900: Rev Canon Samuel Johnson Woodhouse Sanders LL D

1898-99: Alfred Colson M Inst C E

1897-98: Reverend Henry Gow BA

1896-97: Rev Arthur Medland Rendall MA

1895-96: William Simpson, Esq

1894-95: Rev Canon Stocks MA

1893-94: Charles James Billson MA

1892-93: Rev Peter Taylor Forsyth MA

1891-92: Robert Harvey LL B

1889-90: John Dennis Paul FGS

1888-89: Rev Ambrose Pudsey Dawson MA

1887-88: Alfred Henry Paget

1886-87: Rev John Page Hopps

1885-86: Reverend James Went MA

1883-84: Reverend E Atkins B Sc

1881-82: Rev Hugh John Fortescue MA

1880-81: Rev Joseph Wood

1879-80: Charles Packe FLS

1878-79: Alderman George Stevenson

1877-78: Rev Lewis M Clayton MA

1876-77: Rev Alexander Mackennal BA

1875-76: Reverend Leonard Addison BA

1890-91: 1874-75

1873-74: Rev John F Halford MA

1872-73: Reverend Nathaniel Haycroft DD

1871-72: Reverend William Romanis MA

1870-71: Reverend Robert Harley FRS FRAS

1869-70: Reverend John Spittal MA

: 1868-69

1867-68: John Buck MRCS

1866-67: Reverend Johnson Barker LL B

1865-66: Rev David James Vaughan MA

1864-65: George Barton Franklin

1863-64: Rev John Noble Bennie LL B

1862-63: Rev Charles Clement Coe

1861-62: Richard Luck

1860-61: Rev John Owen Picton

: 1859-60

1857-58: John Barclay MD

1856-57: Rev William Williamson

1855-56: Mons Charles Camille Caillard

1854-55, 1882-83: William Napier Reeve FSA

1852-53: Dr Joshua Harrison Stallard

1849-50: William Briggs (Biggs)

1847-48, 1848-49: Colin Campbell Macaulay

1846-47, 1853-54, 1858-59: James Francis Hollings

1843/46, 1851/52: Rev C Berry

1842-43: Thomas Smith

1840-42: John Riley (Ryley)

1839-40: The Reverend, The Honourable H D Erskine

1835-6,1838-39, 1844-45,1850-51, 1884-85 (Acting Chairman): George Shaw, MD



Presidents

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