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Northwood Park
Early in 2002 our illustrious editor Nick phoned me to say that he had met an elderly gent whose father had been at Northwood Park, Winchester, and could I find out anything further for him.
The thing about genealogy is that other people's queries always seem to be more interesting, i.e. any excuse for diversion, and so the paper chase started.
In the History of Clayesmore by David Spinney, on page 38 he states that Thomas Eastman inherited his father's Naval Academy at Southsea, which is not correct, neither did it transfer to Stubbington.
Thomas Eastman senior founded Eastman's Royal Naval Academy in 1851. When he died in 1860 he was succeeded by one of the teaching staff George Spickernell, who a year later married Eastman's widow Sarah. Spickernell relinquished the post in 1885, but the school continued up until about 1940.
Thomas Eastman junior was a teacher there aged 21 in 1872, but following
university he moved to Stubbington House School, near to Fareham, otherwise
known as Foster's Naval Academy, during the period 1876 - 1881, and was
fortunately still there on census day 3 April 1881.- Titchfield, Stubbington
House, EASTMAN Thomas, Tutor, unmarried, male, aged 30, Schoolmaster, born
Salisbury, Wiltshire.
A perhaps more interesting entry on that same census page
Titchfield, Stubbington House, SCOTT Robert F. pupil, aged 12,
Scholar, born Plymouth, Devon. - almost 31 years exactly before he died in
Antarctica.
Spinney would have been pleased. (For the benefit of those who didn't have the
pleasure of knowing J.D.S., his favourite expression was " GREAT SCOTT
").
In 1881 Thomas Eastman junior opened his own school at Wallington, near Fareham, which he also called Eastman's Royal Naval Academy. In 1886 he moved it to Stubbington and I am told it grew larger than 'Foster's', so that by 1894 he decided to move again, this time to Northwood Park, Winchester, where he built on further facilities including swimming pool and chapel.
Shortly after opening his own establishment Thomas had married Eva Leggatt,
one of six daughters of Samuel and Laura Leggatt of Crofton Manor, Stubbingtan,
who also had three sons. He was 31 and Eva 19, at Holy Rood Church on 1 August
1882, but sadly she died in 1887, as did their son aged 3 or 4. The East Window
in Holy Rood Church is dedicated to her memory.
Not long afterwards Thomas remarried so that by the time of the 1901 census we
have:-
Northwood Park, Winchester. EASTMAN Thomas 50
Rose C. 39
Dorothy 10
Lucie 8
Claude 2
but also among the scholars:
Alexander Robinson 16 born Falmouth, Cornwall
Arthur Robinson 12 born Hull, Yorkshire - these being the father and the uncle
of the man Nick had met.
Thomas Eastman's school went into decline so that by Easter 1914 numbers were
down to 20, when they returned for the summer term they found that they were now
attending Clayesmore School under Alexander Devine, who had moved the school
from Pangbourne. Among those who were absorbed into Clayesmore was Eastman's son
Claude, plus Bill Ramsden who Nick and I remember attending O.C. weekends in the
late 50s (he had a beautiful Riley Pathfinder car) also P.W.Sabine who I presume
was the father of Piers A. Sabine contemporary of 1958/1960.
Alexander Devine died an Boxing Day 1930 aged 65, and was buried in the
churchyard just across the B 3049 at Sparsholt.
James E. Tilmouth (55-60)