John Langhorne (1836 – December 1911) was headmaster of The King's School, Rochester and an educational innovator there. He has been called "Lamberhurst's first local historian"[1]
Born in Giggleswick, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, Langhorne's father was John Langhorne (1805–1881; referred to hereafter with the term "senior", to distinguish him from his son) of Haber House, Crosby Ravensworth, Cumbria. John Langhorne (senior) was born at Haber Farm and was schooled at Shap and Sedbergh School, subsequently becoming master at Beetham. He became mathematics[2] and writing[3] master of The Free Grammar School of King Edward VI for thirty years. He served most of his time under headmaster George Ash Butterton. He managed the School Accounts from 1839 to 1845, but they were found to be "so in accurate and confused" that Mr Robinson had to enter them in the book.[4] This may have been because "in 1840 the … number of boys in the High School learning writing and arithmetic under Langhorne was greater than one man could efficiently attend to".[5] Langhorne resigned "almost immediately" at the replacement of headmaster Butterton by John Blakiston in about 1859.[6]
John Langhorne (senior) was the cousin of Thomas Langhorne of High Dalebanks, Crosby Ravensworth who was the founder of Loretto School.[7] He subsequently retired to Haber House in Crosby Ravensworth to pursue farming.
His mother was Elizabeth Wildman (1806–1878). She was the daughter of Mary Clark and William Wildman, a farmer from Giggleswick. They may have been related to John Wildman (born 1811) bookseller and publisher in Settle. (John and William Wildman were rather distantly related. William's grandparents William Wildman and Elizabeth Frankland were John's great-grandparents.)
The Langhorne family claimed descent from Major General Rowland Laugharne[8] [9]
He attended Giggleswick School. In 1855 he won the Essay prize (see publications)
He attended Christ's College, Cambridge where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree on 31 March 1859.[10] He gained a first class in the Classical tripos.[11] He took his MA in 1862 (Christ's College). It was whilst resident at Cambridge that he met his first wife Henrietta Long of Harston Hall, Harston and Landemere Hall, Thorpe-le-Soken. Henrietta was the daughter of William Long and Henrietta Bridge. Her brother Harry Allan Long died in 1883 at Kimberley, South Africa aged 40.[12]
In 1862 he was ordained a deacon in 1862 and a priest in 1864 - in between he was curate at Hildenborough and Tudeley[13]
After leaving Cambridge, he worked for a year in Wakefield.
His sister Mary Langhorne died on 17 January 1863 aged 24. In 1873 his other sister Jane married Christopher Bateson Maudsley (sic), brother of the founder of the Maudesley hospital.
From 1860 to 1877 he was a classics master and housemaster at Tonbridge School, Kent.
The following poem was written about John Langhorne by W.O.Hughes-Hughes (probably whilst a student at Tonbridge School):
Ego sum Johannes Ursus
Et te puniam si ursus
facis tumultum
Gravis puer! num silebis?
Immo vero non-sedebis
Si me provocabis multum.
Langhorne was often referred to as "the Bear" (Ursus in Latin). The piece is written from the teacher's perspective:
I am John the Bear
and I will punish you if you are you are a bear
that makest turmoil
Unpleasant boy! Will not be silent?
To the contrary you shall not sit down
if you provoke me greatly.
The following account of his time at Tonbridge School comes from the "Hill Side Letter", the journal of his House at Tonbridge School.
By 1866 he had moved to Bordyke. At this time "it was necessary for him to advertise for pupils and a contemporary leaflet shows him charging 40-50 guineas for 'house, board and washing'".
The "Hill Side Letter" states that he was known at Tonbridge as "Fling". It quotes the following poem composed by an erstwhile student:
"There in the fifth form room, well skilled to swear
The mighty Langhorne teaches from his chair
A man serene he is and stern to view
Satirically inclined and witty too
Well have the fellows earned the rows to trace
When in the morn they look upon his face
But of the will a hearty laugh provoke
By witty sayings or a harmless joke" (1870)
In October 1877 he left to take up his new position at Kings, Rochester. Around this time a contemporary student quoted in the "Hill Side Letter" described John Langhorne thus:
In about 1877 John Langhorne became Headmaster at Kings School, Rochester.
The following announcement was made in The Guardian newspaper on 7 April 1893: "The Dean and Canons of Rochester Cathedral have now at their disposal the headmastership of Rochester Cathedral Grammar School, vacant by the resignation of John Langhorne".
He left Rochester in 1893 to become vicar of Lamberhurst and remained there until his death in Ticehurst.
On 1 August 1861 he married Henrietta Long of Harston Hall in her parish church of Harston, Chesterton, Cambridgeshire. See image. Henrietta Long was the daughter of William Long "gentleman" of Harston and Henrietta Bridge.[14] She was a direct descendant of John Littel Bridge of Shudy Camps and Gregory Wale. Henrietta Langhorne died in March 1869 at Tunbridge.
He had eight children in total, three from his first marriage and five from his second. Six of his children were educated at the King's School, Rochester.
The first child from his first marriage were:
John Langhorne's second wife was Frances ("Fanny") Yorke of the Yorke family of Forthampton Court of Tewkesbury. Her father James Charles Yorke of Gwernant House, Wales had been a Captain in the fifth Dragoon Guards.
The children from his second marriage were