Alleyn’s School Secretary: Joseph Hutton Marsland

A recent enquiry to the School Archives from a distant relative of JH Marsland, one of our founder staff members, has revealed an outstanding relationship existing between one member of staff and Alleyn’s School. Our eagle-eyed honorary archivist, Neil French (Cribb's, 1954-61), found him in the group photo to the right - Mr Marsland is on the front row, fifth from the right,  holding a hat in his hand.

‘Joe’ Marsland was born in September 1850, one of six children of William, a millwright in Scotland, and Elizabeth. At the age of 22 he was married to Harriet (née Prater), from the Isle of Wight, and immediately they started their own family in South London. Between 1873 and 1894 ten surviving children were born, five daughters and five sons.

In September 1878 Joe was employed for 'Secretarial Work' by Alleyn’s College of God’s Gift, Dulwich – presumably within the Lower School, which in 1882 separated from the College to become Alleyn’s School. His employment was clearly a happy one for both parties and he was soon to become the School Secretary, the position he retained until his retirement in 1919 – an uninterrupted period of service of 41 years.

During this time all five of his sons attended the School, covering a period of 26 years, from 1885 when the eldest son started aged 12 and continuing until 1911 when his youngest left aged 17, with Matriculation with Honours having gained distinctions in Elementary Maths, Mechanics, and Physics.

Almost unbelievably, but most illuminating in regard to the affection that JH Marsland must have felt for the school and its ideals, his youngest son he named Edward Alleyn Marsland.

Phil Hanks & Colin Layton

Recently Phil Hanks (Roper's, 1952-59) and his wife spent a week with an old Alleyn’s form friend, Colin Layton (Brown’s, 1952-59), who now lives south of Alicante in an urbanisation area of Torrevieja.

Colin still has fond memories of his Alleyn's days and Phil sends a picture of them together (Colin is on the left).

Malcolm Davis & Alan Matthias: 40 years on

A reunion after an interval of 40 years deserves some celebration, and there was plenty of champagne on hand to enliven the event when Malcolm Davis (Tulley’s, 1960-68, pictured left) and his wife Yuriko met Alan (staff, 1964-67) and Cynthia Matthias (pictured below right) at a Champagne tasting organised by the Worcester College Society, of which Alan and Malcolm are both members, in Oxford last May. Malcolm, who in his role as Executive Director of Champagne Duval-Leroy, the region’s largest family-owned producer, has organised a number of events for the Society, agreed to hold another tasting at the College this June for members of the Rushden Chichele Rotary Club, of which Alan is a leading member.

Those who studied Latin or Greek at Alleyn’s in the mid 1960s, or were involved in school drama at that time, will remember being taught by Alan during his time at the school from 1964 to the end of 1967. Alan has provided some memories of the period (see link), and Malcolm can testify to the fact that both his organising capacity and his skills in the ancient languages are still very much up to standard!

To read Malcolm and Alan’s reminiscences, please follow this link

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