William Gladstone and the Armenian Question

Patrick Derham, Trustee of Gladstone’s Library, considers the connection between Armenia and one of Britain’s greatest prime ministers, William Ewart Gladstone. A powerful advocate for human rights, Gladstone came out of retirement late in his life to condemn Ottoman atrocities against Armenians during the Hamidian Massacres and galvanized public opinion to demand political change. Patrick Derham reveals the moving bond between one of Britain’s greatest statesmen and the Armenian people, and the significance of Gladstone’s legacy today.

Originally published August 2019.

About the speaker

Patrick Derham

Patrick Derham is a Trustee of Gladstone’s Library and Head Master of Westminster School in London where he also teaches History and is closely involved with Harris Westminster Sixth Form, an academically selective free school which has as its key objective to transform the education of the most able London students. Passionate about widening access, Derham set up the Arnold Foundation for Rugby School in 2003 which provides a boarding education at Rugby to under-privileged children and was instrumental in the setting up of the SpringBoard Bursary Foundation, a new national charity closely modelled on the Arnold Foundation. He is also Deputy Chairman of Trustees of IntoUniversity. Derham co-edited Liberating Learning: Widening Participation with Michael Worton (2010), Cultural Olympians with John Taylor (2013) and edited Loyal Dissent(2016). In the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2018, he was awarded an OBE for services to Education.

Patrick Derham