|
Henry
Knibbs was
born
in Dallington, Northamptonshire,
England
in
1841.
His
father
was
a
farmer
who
we
can
see,
in
1881,
employed
4
men
and
2
boys.
For some reason of which I am as yet unaware, the Trotman family, who were the squires of Dallington, took an interest in Henry and encouraged him to take further education and maybe even paid for him to attend teacher training at Cheltenham Training College in Gloucestershire, England. The Trotmans had a daughter Mary who married Edward Valentine Buckle, the son of the vicar of Banstead who was also the chairman of the Banstead School Committee. The school was experiencing great difficulties in trying to find a suitable schoolmaster. Mary Buckle (nee Trotman) put Henry's name forward and he was offered the position of Schoolmaster, commencing in December 1862. |
| So, at the very young age of 20 years, he took on the role of Schoolmaster at Banstead village school and lived in Banstead for the rest of his life. His sister Elizabeth joined him as an uncertified teacher at the school during the first two years until she met and married a teacher named George Garrett. Henry married Annie Elizabeth Garrett in 1865 and they had 2 sons and 4 daughters. His older son Henry became a Clerk working at the Great Western Railway Head Office, and married Isabel Dicker who's father was a schoolmaster at a school close to Banstead. His younger son William became an engineer. The four daughters all became schoolteachers. The older daughter Annie married a man named Lionel Jones, the headmaster of a Technical School in Birmingham. His third daughter Winifred married a man named George Dicker, the brother of Isabel Dicker above. Margaret, his youngest daughter was teaching cooking at Banstead in 1901. I'm not sure yet what happened to his other daughter Mary. | |
| Henry's
wife
Annie
died
in
childbirth
in
1879
during
the
birth
of
their
son.
William.
Henry
remarried
in
1889
to
a
lady
named
Harriet
Bennett.
Before
Harriet
married
Henry
she
was
living
at
105 Eaton Place,
in
the
household
of
the
Hon. Emily
Calheart
who
had
the
extraordinary
title
of
"Extra Bed Chamber Woman To The
Queen".
Harriet's
role
was
given
as
Lady's
Maid.
Eaton
Place
is
just
a
stone's
throw
from
Buckingham
Palace
so
I
suspect
that
Emily
Calheart,
if
not
Harriet,
was
employed
at
the
palace.
Henry
and
Harriet
had
a
son
and
a
daughter.
I
believe
the
son
Bernard
worked
for
an
insurance
company,
and
the
daughter
Dorothy
became
a
teacher.
Henry remained as the headmaster of the Banstead school for 42 years until he retired in 1904, and spent the rest of his life living in Banstead. |
|
| There
is
a
fascinating
booklet
written
in
1981
by
a
lady
named
Irene
O'shea.
This
booklet
gives
a
full
and
colourful
account
of
the
Village
School
at
Banstead,
as
well
as
an
excellent
portrayal
of
the
life
and
character
of
Henry
Knibbs
during
his
time
as
headmaster
of
the
school.
Further
details
can
be
obtained
from
the
Publications
secretary
at
BHRG
books. |
 |
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