Thomas (W.) Sanders, FL.S., FR. H.S. 1855-1926
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Thomas Sanders was born in a long - gone cottage on the side of Penny Hill on the 6 th November 1855. He had a sister, Sarah baptised in August 1853, and a brother, William, baptised in October 1854.Later came another sister, Olive, baptised in November 1858 and a brother, Ernest, two years later . |
When Thomas was not yet three months old, Martley Parish Registers show his
brother William was buried on January 26 th 1856, aged 16 months, with his sister
Sarah buried five days later on 31 st January, aged 29 months. Thomas was christened
on 9 th December 1855 and then only given the name Thomas (after his grandfather).
It seems almost certain that the first born son, William, was greatly loved,
and that his parents added William to Thomas' s forename to perpetuate his memory.
He was known as T W. Sanders always after that horrible week for the family.
His parents, John and Mary Anne, were married at St. Martins, Worcester on 14
th February 1853, when John was 34 and Mary 27. They married from a house in
Silver treet, presumably where Mary was a servant, for John was living in Martley.
His occupation was given as bricklayer, with his father,Thomas, being a labourer.
Mary (nee Callow) was born in Suckley,baptised on 24 th September 1825, and
her father, William, was also an agricultural labourer. John, Mary and their
two witnesses all made their mark X ,on the marriage certificate. John is seen
on records at differing times as a bricklayer, a mason and a labourer.
Thomas came to the fairly new village school at the top- of- the- churhyard
at the age of 5. He would have walked the footpath from Hillside down the track
past the Ivy and the ex- top- shop. He would have been in the classroom adjoining
the churchyard drive wityh the class of girls and infants. At the age of six
years and three months he moved in to the boys' class, where at sometime his
teacher would have been Michael Coleman.
On leaving at 12, or maybe 14, his father had him apprenticed to a builder,but
he hated it. His mother, now an on census as a dressmaker, had a great love
of flowers, which must have greatly influenced him, for on two occasions he
ran away from home for the purpose of getting a job in a garden. In the end
his father gave in, and Thomas became engaged at a very small wage to an old
gardener who took a great interest in him and taught him all he knew about elementary
horticulture.
He moved on to several large gardens, spent some time at Versailles, then in
several famous nurseries until, in 1884, at the age of only 29, he took charge
of the gardens and farm of Mr. John Wingfield Larking at Lee, in Kent. Here
he redesigned large winter gardens which were greatly renowned for a long period.
All his spare time was taken u by studying the scientific and theoretical aspects
of gardening.
While still a young man he began to write on horticultural subjects. His writing
attracted a good deal of attention as he was opposed to formal gardening and
championed the cause of the amateur gardener.
At about the time
Thomas took charge of the gardens at Lee, Mr. Shirley Hibberd founded` Amateur
Gardening ' which he edited for a few years. In 1887 when T.W.S. was approaching
32, Mr. Hibberd gave up the editorship, and Thomas was given the appointment
which he filled for almost 40 years. He had the most amazing energy for, in
addition to this post, he lectured widely - always answering questions in amost
kindly manner; he founded the National Amateur Gardeners' Association; he travelled
abroad to study (and to advise: he was decorated in 1906 with the Knighthood
of the Royal Order of Vasa, Sweden, a decoration he wears in his portrait);
he was on the committee of the National Chrysanthemum Society; he was always
present and often a judge at the Horticultural Exhibitions held at the Crystal
Palace.
At Lewisham, where he lived at 124 Embleton Road (destroyed by bombs in World
War II), he was a Town Council member and at one time chairman of the Library
Committee. He was an ardent Freemason, being master of Caxton Lodge (1893) and
also the Philanthic Lodge. His club naturally was the Horticultural. His recreations
are listed as Natural History, British Botany, entomology and geology. If you
think this was all he managed, think again! Who's Who of 1920, where he has
a large entry, lists 22 books written by him,plus 18 pamphlets!! His Encyclopaedia
of Gardening (pub.1895) had sold 250,000
copies at the time of his death, and was reprinted (22 nd Edition! -revised
by Arthur Hellyer) in 1971.
T.W.S. was married to Annie Hoare, who predeceased him, and he left a son, Horace
and daughter, Olive.
Thomas never forgot his roots, and elderly villagers, now gone, have told me
that he used to come up to the Annual Show, often held in the field opposite
the Old Chantry (now Chantry High School grounds).He died on the 13 th October
1926, aged almost 71, and was buried in HitherGreen Cemetery, Lewisham.` Amateur
Gardening' still have his desk, marked with a brass plate. His son Horace, who
was a publicity consultant in Fleet Street, London, wrote to the Rector,Rev.J.F.Hastings,
in July 1933, offering to send to Martley his portrait, and it now hangs in
the Memorial Hall. He wrote, quote, "It is a fact that he had a constant
pride in being a son of Martley and in many articles . . . he often wrote of
Martley and the Teme valley. That a village should so impress itself upon the
constant memory of one of its village boys is a tribute to the qualities of
the village itself'.
Almost the last words must go to Arthur Hellyer, who worked for Amateur Gardening
from 1929 to 1966, being editor for the last 21 years. He himself wrote many
important and influential books, and contributed articles to The Financial Times,
Country Life and Homes and Gardens. He died in 1993 aged 90 . I was lucky enough
to get along letter from him in 1990. He wrote how he met Sanders in Jersey
in May 1923 and asked him what prospects there were for a young man in horticultural
journalism.T.W.S. replied, "None whatsoever. I have an assistant who has
been with me for 30 years, and when he dies I shall require one replacement
". As it happened, Hellyer worked 16 years with the self same assistant
(named H.A.Smith) before he retired.
Arthur Hellyer continued, "As far as I know, Sanders, as editor, always
lived and worked in Lewisham and had his editorial office in his own private
house. H.A. (Henry Augustus) Smith, his assistant, lived nearby, walked round
daily to work with Sanders, and, once a week, visited the Collingridge Office
(publishers of A.G.) in London to bring copy and make -up for the next issue
and pass the pages of the current one".
His final sentence should be Thomas's epitaph. "Sanders played a very important
role in the development of late 19 th century gardening and this has never been
adequately recognised."
So,Martley, remember this son of the parish - who was born of illiterate parents,
whose only formal education was at the village school, who would have left at
12 (or 14), who, the 1871 census shows, was not living at home aged 15, whose
mother was dead by then also; but achieved so much, all by his own efforts -
and never forgot his roots.
Alan Boon
Taken from "Martley at the Millennium" by David Cropp
Page created by Lynne Stanley
E Mail Lynne@martley.org
Last updated 14/9/05