REPORT ON THE APRIL 2009 MEETING

Samuel King

The name ‘Samuel King' is one which must be used by the people of Alston Moor and beyond literally hundreds of time each day. It is, of course, the name attached to the school in Alston which has been the seat of learning for generations of children from the Moor. However it is probable that most will know little, or nothing, of the man whose name is part of everyday life. The school was officially opened in October 1909, which means that this year (2009) marks its centenary. Society member and leading local historian, Peter Wilkinson is soon to release a book on historical aspects of Alston Moor, and part of his very comprehensive studies for the book involved spending a significant amount of time researching the origins of the school and, in particular of its benefactor, Samuel King. This research included spending time in Glasgow physically tracing houses and places with which he is known to have been associated. It is clear that his connection with Alston is tenuous as he never lived there and was very definitely a Glasgow man.

Who, therefore, was Samuel King and why is the school named after him? The story commences in Glasgow in 1763, when Samuel King, the grandfather of ‘the' Samuel King and a Glasgow wright, married Ann Hamilton and one child of the six children they produced was called Andrew. It would appear that as part of his business activities as a cotton spinner, he frequently visited Alston. The reason for the visits is not known but perhaps involved his going to what was then the Alston cotton and flax mill. At some point during his visits he met Sarah Ann Hutchinson, the third of ten children, who lived with her family at the Loaning and, in September 1817, the couple were married at St. Augustine's Church, Alston.

They made their home in Glasgow where Andrew continued to pursue his business interests. He is described as a power loom cloth manufacturer and he was clearly a man of means and had established a successful business. Andrew and Sarah had five children, the first three dying in infancy and the fourth, Sophia, surviving into her teens. The youngest child was Samuel, born in 1827. When he was only 11 his father died, followed by his mother a year later. His father had established a trust fund which provided for the care of Samuel and made him an allowance from the invested funds.

There is no evidence that he followed a business or profession although he clearly enjoyed a comfortable life style and is variously described in records as an annuitant and, later, in the 1871 census return, as a ‘portioner'. The limited information suggests that he was not in business and that he played no part in public or civil life. The only exception seems to be that he was a member and Trustee of the Royal Clyde Yacht Club, but no evidence could be found that he actually owned a yacht. He travelled a lot, including occasional visits to Alston and also, judging by his newsagent's bill, read a lot.

He died in 1878 in Dunoon following an attack of peritonitis, not having married and with no family. His will requested that he be buried ‘anywhere convenient to the place of my decease' although he also said that such place should not be the Gorbals where his parents and siblings had been laid to rest. His personal estate was, in modern terms, valued at over £1M and included a one-sixth share in Howgillrigg Farm, Alston, which he had inherited from his mother. There were many small disbursements but one of particular relevance was a bequest of £2000 (£96,000 in modern terms) to the town of Alston ‘being my mothers native place…. paid over to the Magistrates' or Corporation or Municipal Authorities…to be applied to objects…. as shall appear to them most likely to be a benefit the said town'. He made no mention of a school.

There followed a long legal wrangle as the will had been couched under Scottish Law, which caused complications when trying to apply it in England. One of the main issues was that Alston was not a Municipal Town or Burgh and did not have a Chief Magistrate. The Samuel King Trustees expressed their concerns about their ability to administer the bequest. Various parties tried to claim the money and some of these were dubious in the extreme. However, after 30 years of setbacks, Alston finally received its inheritance. A local newspaper had canvassed readers for ideas on how the money should be spent and these included rebuilding the Market Cross, paying for well paved streets, removing old buildings, providing a water supply and…building a new grammar school! The latter was duly built and opened in 1909 and was dedicated to its benefactor and although it bears his name, it was not the result of a specific and direct bequest.

The school became the core and focal point of education in the area and enabled the evolution of centralised education to begin. In the previous century there had been 18 educational establishments on Alston Moor, not including private, dame and other special schools and by 1840 almost every place of worship had a Sunday School attached. The new secondary school was only the fourth to be built in Cumberland and was designed to accommodate 55-60 boys and girls. It was a stated objective to employ top quality teachers and indeed a good number held degrees.

In 1957 the school moved to larger premises below Church Road, Alston, with a roll of 180 pupils. The old building is now used as a primary school. The name of Samuel King lives on and this man, who led a quiet life but was clearly something of a philanthropist, would doubtless be delighted to know how his money was used and how it has benefited a town with which he had but a casual connection. Like most wealthy burgers of Glasgow at the time, he was buried in the fashionable Necropolis which stands on high ground overlooking the city. The inscription on the cross on his tomb included the words ‘a man greatly beloved'. There being little evidence of the life of this single man perhaps we will never know by whom, but without any doubt, Alston Moor owes him a great deal.

A photograph of members of staff and pupils taken in the early days of the school although the exact date is not known.