 Glanville's father, George Grosvenor Glanville (who died when Glanville was 8), was a mechanical, civil and electrical engineer, soldier, barrister-at-law, patent officer and inventor.His mother, Cecil Tindall, was a musician, teacher, gardener and home maker, who later married John Rodie Peters, a school music director, another significant personal influence.Glanville's education was persistently liberal, as was the education he offered others.