George Newman (d.1911)

Post date: Jan 13, 2012 8:53:27 AM

The Wateringbury Parish magazine of November 1911 includes an obituary of George Newman. His publication 'Wateringbury Revisited', referred to in the obituary, has, since its original publication in the Kent Messenger, been 'enlarged and illustrated' by local resident, Dail Whiting, and published in hard back form in 2001. It is now out of print but occasionally is available second hand. Fifty maps and illustrations are included in its 115 pages. A new expanded (176 pages) soft cover version has subsequently been produced.

IN MEMORIAM.—George Newman (the Poet " Lloegryn")—Mr. George Newman, who died on October 11th, 1911, at Gravesend, was born at the gardener's cottage at Wateringbury Place 76 years ago. After attending a dame school on Bow Hill (one of the cottages just above the Phoenix Brewery) he went to the National Schools, being present on the opening day. He last attended the school on April 6th, 1849. For some little time he was employed at the Phoenix Brewery, but on the death of his father he removed with his mother to Gravesend. Both mother and father are buried in our Churchyard. Mr. Newman was a very busy man, and was proud of the fact that he had spent 50 years of his life in business at Wood Green and Gravesend. Still he found time to write poetry. As recently as August last he visited Wateringbury at the invitation of the Head Master of the Schools, who spent a most enjoyable day in his company, visiting the scenes of Mr. Newman's early life at Wateringbury Place, by kind permission of Mr. Brocklebank. A few weeks before his death he wrote a school song, " Rally, One and All," at the request of the Head Master. This song, it is hoped, will soon be in use at the Schools. He also wrote a stirring song for the boy scouts of Kent. Not only was he a poet, but he was also a prose writer of no mean order, as his " Wateringbury Revisited " and " Links with the Past," published in the Kent Messenger, will show. Mr. Newman leaves three children to mourn his loss — [Communicated by E.A.S.].