Early life and teaching career Symonds was born in
Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, the son of
Henry Symonds (1859–1933), a
barrister, and his wife Florence Annie
née Whitfield (1862–1941). His birth was registered in the first quarter of 1885 and he was baptised on 26 April 1885 at Leamington. He was educated at
Rugby School and
Oriel College, Oxford, where he took a first class degree in
Greats (
classics). While at Oxford he came under the influence of
Hastings Rashdall, who inspired him with a lifelong love of the
Lake District. After leaving Oxford he was appointed to the teaching staff of
Clifton College in 1909. In 1911 he married Gwendolen Watson, with whom he had a son and two daughters.
Work for the Lake District April 1933 saw the first publication of his book, "Walking in the Lake District". In 1935, on his 50th birthday, Symonds, resigned the headmastership, retired from teaching, and dedicated the rest of his life to preserving the beauty of the Lake District and promoting
national parks. to the
National Trust. It consisted chiefly of five farms in the Lake District. He left little money, having given most of what he had to the trust and other conservation bodies during his lifetime. ==Notes==