Archdeacon Alexander Sargent (1895-1989)
Dean Alec Sargent
Archdeacon Alexander Sargent was a great-grandson of Esther Hewlett Copley. He was born in 1895 in Romford, Essex, then a quiet market town, a son of Frederick Sargent (1855–1915), grandson of George Eliel Sargent and Emma Hewlett, and Florence Crundall (1858–1960). He had one older sister, Dorothy (b. 1892).
He was educated first at a small “Dame School” at Shepherdswell, Kent, and later travelled daily by train to attend the ancient King’s School, Canterbury, within the Cathedral precincts—thus beginning a lifelong association with Canterbury Cathedral. He proceeded to St Edmund Hall, Oxford, and was ordained priest in 1920.
A delicate child who underwent several surgical procedures, he was unable to serve in the First World War. During those years he remained at Oxford, preparing for ordination. After four years as a curate, he spent six years on the staff of theological colleges—first in England and then for two years at Grahamstown Theological College in South Africa.
In 1929, Archbishop Lang appointed him one of his resident chaplains. The role involved considerable administrative and secretarial work, and he travelled widely with the Archbishop, serving for ten years and living chiefly at Lambeth Palace while frequently spending weekends at the Old Palace in Canterbury.
In 1939, he was appointed Archdeacon and residentiary Canon of Canterbury Cathedral, moving into an ancient house within the Cathedral precincts. He formally became Archdeacon in 1942.
During the Second World War, his sister Dorothy and her husband Alfred moved to Canterbury due to the difficulties of travel to London. After Alfred’s death in 1947, Alexander and Dorothy shared a home for nineteen years until her death in 1966.
Considering retirement at seventy-one, he was gently advised by the Archbishop not to act precipitously but to take time for reflection. He travelled to South Africa for three months, revisiting former colleagues and friends, before finally retiring in January 1968. Thereafter, he lived quietly in a comfortable flat in Canterbury, maintaining independence and enjoying the company of longstanding friends.
An obituary in The Independent (10 January 1989) described him as:
“A whole man, secure in his faith and vocation… Traditional in his views and devoted to the Prayer Book, his humour and stability delivered him from anger or rancour in the face of modern change.”
He was remembered for integrity, conscientiousness, duty, and faith—qualities rooted in a Victorian upbringing. Though traditional in outlook, he was genial and sociable, fond of good dinners and, in earlier years, extensive travel. Above all, he loved people.
Alexander Sargent died on 5 January 1989. His funeral was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and he is commemorated on a Roll of Honour in the Cathedral cloister.
Sources and Further Reading
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The Independent, obituary of Alexander Sargent (10 January 1989).
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Cathedral archives, Canterbury – Roll of Honour records.
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Biographical records relating to the Sargent–Hewlett family line.
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Photo of Alec Sargent - Family Archives.