HENRY TURNER
(1852-1940)
When and where born:
Name, if any:
Sex:
Name and surname of father:
Name, surname and maiden surname of mother:
Occupation of father:
Signature, description and residence of informant:
When registered:
Marriage solemnized at the Tower Street Chapel,
Launceston in the District of Launceston in the Counties of Cornwall and Devon.
When married:
Name and surname:
Age:
32 Years 22 Years
Condition:
Rank or profession:
Residence at the time of marriage:
Father’s name and surname:
John Turner Samuel Symons
Rank or profession of father:
Witnesses: Samuel Symons, Jessie Johns
Death in the Sub-district of Leeds East in the
County Borough of Leeds.
When and where died:
12 Roman Avenue UD
Name and surname:
Sex:
Age:
87 years
Occupation:
Schoolmaster, retired.
Cause of death:
I.a. Uraemia
b. Septic bladder
following prostatectomy on 13.9.39.
Certified by C. Marshall, MD.
Signature, description and residence of informant:
Donald Turner
Son
Southernwood
Bilton, Rugby
When registered:
Henry Turner
Headmaster
Without any doubt this gentleman
was one of Guiseley’s notables. Even today he is remembered with considerable
affection amongst oldest locals despite his reputation of being “Handy wi't
cane”.
Born in 1852 at Wetherby he
trained to be a teacher at the Wesleyan
Teacher's Training college in 1873/74. He was head teacher at Deal, Marnington
[probably an error for Manningtree] and Launceston where he met Janie Symmonds
whom he wed before coming north to take the headship of the Guiseley Wesleyan
Day School in 1882. There he remained as head until 1916. He is particularly
remembered for his experiments with hot air balloons which consisted of a large
paper bag with cotton wool
suspended beneath, soaked in Methylated Spirits and ignited."
He lived at No. 2 Oxford Villas
and then in No. 1 which is now the Methodist Manse. He had three children,
Winnie, Nellie and Donald. Nellie married Lancelot Daniels whose brother
Lorenzo was from 1910-1912 the resident Wesleyan minister in Guiseley. In 1916
Mr Turner sent in his resignation as follows:
September 25th 1916.
Dear Sir...This is to give
notice of my intention to retire as Head teacher of the above school (Guiseley
Orchard Street) on 31st December. Please inform the education committee. I take this opportunity of cordially thanking
the sub-committee and yourself for the very kind consideration they and you
have shown me during many years past. Yours Faithfully, Henry Turner.
Some interesting information
can be gleaned from another newspaper report on his resignation.
In addition to his
scholastic duties Mr Turner held various offices in the Township of Guiseley.
He is one of the Trustees for the Wesleyan property in Guiseley and for many
years acted as secretary to the trust. He has been a local
preacher and class leader, Sunday School superintendent
and teacher for twelve years and circuit steward for Yeadon Wesleyans for
almost twelve years. On two occasions he has filled the office of president of
the Wharfedale Branch union of Teachers and has occupied a number of other
offices.
The report then goes on to
highlight a few interesting educational statistics:
In 1882 when Mr Turner took
charge at Guiseley, there were 218 scholars on the register and since then 2425
have been added to the mixed department (about 71 per annum) which consists of
eight years old and upwards. The quality of his teaching is shown by the fact
that since 1895
no fewer than 63 county
minor scholarships have been won by his scholars - an average of three per
year. One of these scholarship-holders who gained his in 1905 has quite
recently become a wrangler [holder a double first degree in mathematics] at
Cambridge University.
In the report Mr Turner
reflected upon the change in educational methods. Seen by our
representative, Mr Turner remarked that during the time he had been at
Guiseley, great changes had been made in the methods of education and in the
mode of financing it.
In 1882 he said:
“The system of (so-called)
payment by returns was in vogue. Every individual scholar, quick or dull, hale
or sickly, must be brought up to a certain standard in the “Three R's” or the
government grant for that scholar was forfeited. The requirements of different
inspectors were so various that there was constant anxiety and worry on the
part of the teachers; and on the part of the scholars they were subjected to a
continual grinding and cramming which was not education. On the contrary there
was often produced a profound dislike for books and figures. So difficult was
the task of maintaining the schools that boys and girls of thirteen of fourteen
years with no previous training in teaching were put in charge of classes of
thirty to fifty scholars after six hour’s exhausting work these unhappy
teachers must spend three or four hours each evening in their own studies....
In 1882 one of the chief features of education was the development of memory
and in storing it with a mass of undigested matter which was not all of use in
later life... now the chief aim is to develop harmoniously all the powers of
the child and a far wider scope has been given to the subjects taken, handwork
has also taken
a much larger place. It is
found not only to aid skilful manipulation but to arouse interest, to aid
the understanding and brighten
the intelligence. More attention is given to the health of these children, to
ventilation, cleanliness, physical exercises and organised games. Medical
examinations of children is compulsory; a
beginning has been made with school clinics and a school nurse regularly
visits the school.”
There were considerable
tributes at Mr Turner's retirement. By today’s standards he would have been
judged very strict or even harsh, but in his own day he was viewed as very
humane and meticulous. From one conversation I had with a senior Guiseley Resident
it appears that he had
musical interests and was
involved with the Ilkley Music Festivals.
I recall a conversation with
the late Annie Wilkinson of Yeadon who was at the school in the senior class at
the outbreak of the Great War. She remembered how pupils whose fathers were
called-up were singled out and given words of encouragement. Annie was a weaver for a number of years but later felt a
strong pull to go into child care. She started her new career in (I think)
Tadcaster and recalled how in her first week she suddenly bumped into Mr.
Turner. Rather gingerly she approached him and introduced herself. She was
surprised that he remembered her and expressed his best wishes for her new
venture. A week later she heard that he was dead.
Following his retirement Mr Turner had taken up residence in Sheffield where his son was at university. Later he returned to Roundhay where he spent the last years of his life. He died in 1940 and his wife three years later. He has direct descendants still resident in Guiseley.
