Victorian headmaster comes to light

You'd think that a Victorian Littlehamptonian who had nine children would have left behind some pictures.
By The Newsroom
Published 16th Oct 2016, 15:00 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 03:11 BST
The picture that should have been on the front cover  Thomas Slatford with his familyThe picture that should have been on the front cover  Thomas Slatford with his family
The picture that should have been on the front cover  Thomas Slatford with his family

But when the Sussex Record Society published the edited school logs of Thomas Slatford, headmaster of Littlehampton Elementary Boys’ School from 1871 to 1911, no photo of him could be traced.

For the front cover they had to use a photo of his memorial plaque, still on display in River Beach School, instead of the man himself.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But after publication editor Ruth Brown was contacted by Thomas’s great-great-granddaughter Andrea Martin, a family historian who had also inherited a collection of family photos.

Ruth Brown and Andrea Martin with the Littlehampton School LogbookRuth Brown and Andrea Martin with the Littlehampton School Logbook
Ruth Brown and Andrea Martin with the Littlehampton School Logbook

They met and shared stories about the Slatford family: apparently all six daughters remained single, and of the three sons only one had any children.

Andrea was delighted that someone had taken the trouble to write about her great-great-grandad, and Ruth said: “He really was a remarkable man, and his logs show what a dedicated and successful teacher he was.

“They are also an interesting record of the history of Littlehampton over 40 years, and family historians might find out what their ancestors were up to at school: over 1,500 names are listed in the index.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The ‘Littlehampton School Logbook: 1871-1911’ is available from the Sussex Record Society, Barbican House, Lewes, NB7 1YE. Price £20.

---

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage

2) Like our Facebook page

3) Follow us on Twitter

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

Always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.

Related topics:Twitter