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|  | | In the UK University and theatre University Birmingham University - early 20th century Sylvester
Leon left the United States for England around 1900. In England he
found work, for a time in a commercial firm, and then as an assistant
junior master at a Grammar School. There he had considerable success at
coaching boys for examinations. He was also continuing his studies,
with a view to entering a university. Apparently he won a scholarship, which was announced in the Daily Gleaner in early September 1903:September 4, 1903, p 11
'Friends
and old schoolfellows of Mr. P. Sylvester Leon . . . will be glad to
hear he has won a Scholarship tenable at the Birmingham University for
three to five years. He will commence his studies at the beginning of
the next session, October 5th, 1903. We wish him a successful career.'
He
thus attended Birmingham University in the academic year 1903-4, having
completed matriculation in September 1903 by passing an examination in
Physiography. In June 1904 he passed the Inter B.A. Examinations in
Latin, English, French, Logic and History, with 2nd class honours. He
left Birmingham after the one year, without being awarded any degree or
diploma, and no reason is indicated for this action.
student record
While at Birmingham he was Secretary of the Literary and Dramatic Society, which the 1910 Gleaner article claims he founded. On another page of the issue of The Mermaid shown below was the cryptic comment -
'Mr. Patrice Sylvester Leon is believed to have returned to his native wilds.'
The Mermaid Vol 1, No 1, October 1904
[The Mermaid Tavern, on Bread Street in Cheapside in London, was the
meeting place for a group of writers including Sir Walter Raleigh, Ben
Jonson and William Shakespeare; they belonged to what was called the
Friday Street Club, or the Mermaid Club.]
The Gleaner article in 1910 claimed that Leon also studied at Oxford, graduating with the degree of B.A., that he won many prizes at various stages of his educational advance, being Historical Dissertation Prizeman, and that he took Honours in Modern European History and Literature. So far these claims cannot be confirmed, and further research will be needed to investigate them. Having apparently completed three years at university, Sylvester Leon decided to remain in the U.K. and become an actor and playwright.
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Theatre
After
completing his academic studies Leon apparently moved on into the
theatrical world, performing with the companies of the well-known
actor-managers F. R. Benson, Lewis Waller and Arthur Bourchier.
While acting in top English theatres he won critical praise for his
performances of Shylock, Hamlet, Mark Antony, David Garrick, and Marat
in his own play, "Charlotte Corday". While these claims were made in
the Jamaican press, some detailed research in newspapers of the time in
the United Kingdom will be necessary to ascertain when and where he
performed.
It
is not clear how successful Sylvester Leon's career on the British
stage actually was , but some time in the early part of 1908 he linked
up with the Jamaica Choir, which was in the final year of its great
tour of Britain. Perhaps things had not been going all that well!
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