Fredrick Hobley (b. 1833): Biographical Entry

332 HOBLEY, Frederick, ‘From the Autobiography of Frederick Hobley – a nineteenth century schoolteacher’, Alta. The University of Birmingham Review, No. 6, Summer 1968, pp.331-9. Extract in J. Burnett (ed.), Destiny Obscure. Autobiographies of childhood, education and family from the 1820s to the 1920s (Allen Lane, London, 1982), pp. 177-82. Brunel University Library.

Born 26 April 1833 at Thame, Oxon. Died 1908. One of 10 children. Educated at dame school (1836-7); National School (1837-), remaining there as a monitor; Oxford Diocesan Training School (1849-51); Sunday School. Married, 1858, with large family. Lived at Thame (1833-49); Summertown, Oxford (1852-?); Narberth, Pembrokeshire; Brightwell, Berks. (for 18-19 years); Slade End.

School monitor; schoolteacher (1852-71); commercial traveller (1871-?); book-keeper. Retired in 1899.

Chorister.

Both published versions are extracts from a longer manuscript autobiography, privately owned and not available for general access. The narrative is particularly useful for a history of education, with good accounts of schooling, training as a teacher and work as a schoolmaster. Other themes include dress and ‘breeching’; leisure (Nov 5th; cricket); election campaigning. The memoirs were written in 1905. The extract in Alta was reproduced as Hobley wrote it except for the omissions indicated and additions to complete the sense of the text.