The Dalston Turkish Baths - Andtwothatneverhappened
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
In this issue • the pre-eminent Hackney school of the 18th century • W. H. Pennington, star of stage and battlefield • Quakers in Stoke Newington, from the early 19th century • Victorian Turkish baths in Dalston and elsewhere • a mysterious Homerton token • the origins of the Lee Valley Park ISSN 1360 3795 £4.00 free to subscribers THE FRIENDS OF HACKNEY ARCHIVES Hackney History volume fourteen 1 Newcome's School Joan Hardinges 3 The elusive Pennington: Sally England 13 2 pinning down a forgotten hero Quakers in Stoke Newington: Peter Daniels 24 3 the 19th and 20th centuries 'A dream to keep you happy for a Malcolm Shifrin 38 week': the Dalston Turkish baths - andtwothatneverhappened The mystery of the Homerton H-0-G Mell!Jn Brooks and 50 5 Robert H. Thompson The Lee Valley Regional Park: Lau,ie Elks 52 6 a historical perspective Abbreviations used 2 Contributors 67 Acknowledgements 68 About the pubishers and the publication 68 THE FRIENDS OF HACKNEY ARCHIVES 2008 The Friends of Hackney Archives (charity no.1074493) c/ o Hackney Archives D epartment 43 De Beauvoir Road Nl SSQ 020 7241 2886 archives@ hackney.gov. uk Printed by Premier Print Group E3 3QQ Edited by Isobel Watson Newcome's School Cover design by Jacqueline Bradshaw-Price ISSN 1370 3795 © Friends of Hackney Archives and contributors, 2008 Joan Hardinges The Salmons' school The origins of Newcome's Academy, or Hackney School, which stood in Lower Clapton Road opposite Abbreviations used in this issue what is now the Windsor Castle public house, has long been the subject of conjecture. It was thought that its origins were in a school run by Elizabeth Salmon, a Presbyterian, who taught French, housewifery and polite accomplishments to girls as early as the 1630s. 1 Thomas Salmon, Elizabeth's husband, had a pew built for his scholars in Hackney Church at his own expense and added to this in 1671.2 It is BL British Library probable that Thomas and Elizabeth Salmon were jointly running a mixed school. Thomas Salmon died in 1672, and bequeathed his dwelling house with eight acres of land, and three acres in Hackney Marsh, GHL Guildhall Library to his wife. This was presumably the large house which he occupied in Clapton in 1658 and probably HAD Hackney Archives Department accommodated Salmon's school.3 His son Thomas was granted his other 'lands, tenements, etc.' and his UvIA London Metropolitan Archives dwelling house after his mother's decease.4 However, Thomas junior acquired the house within a couple 5 ODNB Oxford Dictionary of National Biography of months of his father's death in 1672. TNA The National Archives In 1690 the Hackney select vestry granted Benjamin Morland, school master, permission to use the VCH Victoria County History of Middlesex Salmon pew, which had been built at the charge of Captain Salmon, for himself and his family.6 Publications cited are published in London By 1691 Thomas Salmon had moved to Meppershall, Bedfordshire, where he was the rector, and would 7 unless otherwise indicated not have been interested in the school in Clapton. In 1693 Benjamin Morland acquired the house. This was probably the property which had a rental value of £70 and on which Morland paid a tax of £14 in 1693.8 As Benjamin Morland had this house and the Salmon pew, it seems likely that he was a master at Salmon's school and continued the school established by them: Thomas Salmon died in 3 Hackney History Newcome 's School useful surviving document is a list of plays dating 1706, and bequeathed £100 apiece to his daughters he was known as Dr Newcome. His son and Latin, Greek, French), history, mathematics from 1729, with the names of those boys who Katherine and Mary, to be paid out of a mortgage grandson were also referred to as Dr Newcome, and sciences, dancing, drawing, music and performed the principal parts. 16 Florence Bagust, which he had on his 'house in Hackney occupied but not entitled to the title. physical training. Natural history excursions were 9 local historian, attempted to research the school by Benjamin Morland'. undertaken. Football was popular, and cricket was in the 1920s, but could not acquire sufficient H enry returned to Hackney and became Morland's played in the field adjacent to the school. Newcome's property information to write an account. Therefore I have assistant master. In 1714 he married Morland's The building which accommodated . " . ,• 'y• '\':,. \ ...... :. ,~- ~ -.., i '\ :: .. :,:.. t -: ...~ daughter Lydia. In 1721 Morland left Hackney to The age of entrance was from seven to 12 years . , .,)_., ,. ,,_,-)•'" f f~'.' • \ •• ,~~• r,!., .. ,' \' . ~ """? • l ' Newcome's School was not the house which - .r .:··---~ ~~ \,,~--~-,~ ,. \: ...: ---- -_- \- .... :\~~?~:- --{-- become master of St. Paul's School, and Henry Some pupils left at the age of 12 to 14 for Eton, the Salmons and Benjamin Morland had -. ... .1. · r\8'\ ~ \ . ;,; ,,. ' ,w.1i;sh g : .. ,. J 'bJ _, ••• ', , .I • ~ ...,,._ ~ ~ :.:~ •'\":~ :.:: - ~-IL<,l,,,f -U-.A.4~ .~ r. ~__, ,:,. ~1_..}:" Westminster or other public schools. originally occupied. Their house had eight , ,,, :\ ',; \ \ \ , r; . ,, 'l.; ~-~f~. ,a-u ,.n ... ~ ,:,' t-A~,. •, .. , 1 ., ·, - • I • .. I \ \ I ,·. I l . l ) ;,,t,.,.;.....,,_ 'l./. ',IU Those destined for a naval or military acres of land around the house and three acres " ·- (-· . ~~ ~ ~~~-'-'-{,. · · _ ,.- . : .. ·\ , , ,, . --: R. Mor1tland, latti SchoolmaFlcr at Hackn~, i, c:borc:n ,• . • ~, \ J. ..:• -t ,i.._. i~ft~ll,~ ,I -~-> ~ career usually left at 15, and those who in the Marsh, whereas Newcome's house ha d · · : ~ \ ·:"~ \ ,.,,...,,. ;.,__,~ .. \ . - r ·rt~ · Hncl Mafter-ef 5t. Paul'• School 1 (bdng in thi: Gift ot , ...c,,.> ,.,. ' ' ' I -fLb.~:\._ ,.&...A;,..~.i,... t . \~ ,,. ; . :'~-- '" ' . t4acM Mercer, Corupany) in tµe Room of the R,verend Mr. Ayf. intended to enter Oxford or Cambridge 'one and a half acres behind the house and · __,,.,. ·--~•'v ',, , ".'';;,'7', - ~ 1i i..~.. l . · · · ~ · · i '. ~• .,. -- , 19 ,\ .. ~ . .... "' • " ~): 7't:.;'\l • \ • I t. ..... - - ..... ~h, who bath lte-figned. _ ~ - " . remained to 16 or 17 years. three and a half in the Downs'. This house . •.. ~,:--<~ ··;.. \\:."~~ ;_£•·;>-'/.J- ✓- · .. r ... ,-- . l tst :-.- , · i• · · • , ? • ! ~~v~ \ --~~,· :, ~ • ~ ~ , FroJn Hacknry Archives' press cuttings collections, 1721 dated from at least 1649, when the copyhold : / · · · ; \ \~\}(~~ \-i,:~}i\ .., j · · I - f. -· · Aristocrats was held by Robert Gore, and remained in : -- / · . ·· .. · \ Hi~'· '?~.;:Jt\ :.-:_\ · . ·~ · .: Newcome took over the school. He may have Newcome's was a boarding school for the middle the Gore family until 1708.10 The Gores ;,~-,~: :·-ir "· ·.. ~ {,.\\'!~--- . :.-}?>"' -~,t,,._ .. transferred the school to his house at this time. and upper middle classes and attracted the sons of were Merchant Taylors, and aldermen and ~1',;_ ~t :.\\\. _)'fl ;:::f~t.t_ ·•···:· tr· Henry's wife Lydia died in 1730 at the age of 44, prominent Whig families. 20 Lord Charles Cavendish 11 ~ - 'I.! l ,.,, . .,, l liverymen of the City of London. Henry · : f, --1 • ,1 • , , ' I , ; ..-•'. •· , · J. ; ' - ' ,'I 1 I I ' 'I leaving him with a family of six under the age of 15 was already impressed with the Newcomes when ' t,~~e-', \ ,' ; I • '"', .'.;S I ••,, , . \ t.,...• years. He married again in 1732, to Anne Yalden, he entered his son Henry in the school in 1742. He did not acguire the copy hold uncil e<f'\ ~ ;:) _i,· J~,, ; . \• 18 ~:~~~me _J }~~~i~:. ,. \:~.~. r K'.;t)ij\ and had a further five children. had attended Eton, and one might have expected 1 11 him to send young Henry there, where most of Over the intervening years, several parties :- -~ /. , - -- ~ \!· ,~ - '\i-:1-~i; ~g~iU'\\. ~;·~ Henry was a good classical scholar and strict .. .. l ~--•L.' ~.~ t -. ~ - ;-__;1L :...:.~i \--, v,~ the E nglish peerage were educated, but he chose held moieties of the copyhold, including -~ _- 1 .;,. ~ - <i'. , '- - _ «i, i ~-,..:-' _J·i~ re : -~...: i,,._............,, •~__I. ;'.- \I'. - ) • .. <t 'i'... .:.:,1 ~ -..... ,©•\____ I ~'ll,:p, '- .. t ,, · • '\, --' o disciplinarian. During his headmastership the Hackney School. (In the same year that Lord the Fosters and Aldwinkles, both of whom _, ·1·_.,,. __ ,. --·~---- . -1'~• <e.'!·,-,"",,..,~.:~wj • -i~ --~Ut. '@:·~ :-t.-r u ~. ,,,~ ~ e;;_ ,, • ·'? ~ ----~-'--,-,'1i\'IQ1 \\· • ;,:_'l.vt.r_ .<.....,.. .. ~-·. -- /. _,~~ '. school, with an enrolment of about 100 pupils, Charles entered Henry there he recommended had interests in Sutton House when it was ~\! ~:., °f/ie_'7'_.ll eg.-\""';o.. )-,;-,1.~/\ · f \\;· -:.:;;:,,-~ -- .: \·. '~ ,,.,_ ,.. .. ~~--l"if1 t/, --" \ ,) "L'' : J ··;· 'LI.• •• ..... t . became known as the largest and most fashionable Henry Newcome's son Peter for membership of 13 1 1 the Ivey School. Henry Newcome may ::~/;;,1: ~r?,_ (t,i · . fill 1~~\±,. i~-1.:-! · .. _ i.·-_;_~ ;;-,~:~\"~ .. 1. J\i.:..;:·;·_: of all 18th century schools. On the edge of the the Royal Society as one skilled in mathematics have had a lease on the house, as in 1720 it~(; ·;r '.f:M ',t~:'t,l./·_:_ ,./ >:.::~&;;1;~?\ -::: :::·::/: countryside, with its magnificent playing fields in and polite literature. Peter became well thought of 11 1 he insured against fire, for £1,000, his 'brick ""-- ,, .. ~ · .,,, f~; ;·· " •" . , .. .1 / / . : \ ,. ·· .. · " · the acre and a half of ground behind, it also had in the Society and served on its council in 1763 b u il t d we lli ng h ouse, wit· h a b rew h ouse an d An extract fro Jn Rocque :r 174 5 Jnap, centred on Lower Clapton. a reputation for being modern and healthy. The and 1764.) Lord Charles's wife, Lady Ann Grey, oth er o ffi ces t h ereunto ad JOmmg. - - on t h e east N e1vco1J1e:r is sho1vn 1-:J triple arroivs, JJJest of Hacknry House curriculum included literature, languages (English, was the daughter of the Duke of Kent, and Henry side of the road in Clapton'.14 At this time there was no mention of it being a school.