Arthur Thomas Spiers, pupil, pupil teacher and head teacher at the Boys’ School, dated about 1876/7.

1870s

Arthur Spiers was born in 1858 and moved with his family to Upper Swinford in about 1870.  He was a pupil and a pupil teacher before going to York College to train as a teacher.  His first post was in Leamington.  In 1882 he married a Wollaston girl, Emma Smith and they already had two children when they moved back to Wollaston in 1899.  Arthur was appointed head master of the Boys’ School in 1899;  in 1904 he was elected local councillor for Wollaston on Stourbridge Borough Council. He obviously lived beyond his means for W.H. Foster lent him some money to pay off debts in 1902.  However in 1907 he owed over £500 to money lenders and was declared bankrupt.  He lost his job and home and left the country to live in Canada.  Emma had known nothing of his problems and there is a suggestion in a letter from the manager of the iron works to Mr W.H. Foster that he had been helping both his family and Emma’s.  Emma and their four children followed him in 1908 and another name was added to Spiers.  Arthur worked on the Canadian railways and died in April 1944.

photo credit: A. Hill of Lye, Stourbridge.

supplied by: Andrew Bassett-Spiers.