▶Date of birth:   19 May 1847       Place of birth: Merton Hall, Cambridge

▶Father: Henry Smith      Mother:  Rose Battans

▶Spouse(s):  Eleanor Mary Pearson Meek      Date(s) of marriage:  8 April 1874     Place(s) of marriage:  St Edward’s, Dringhouses, York

▶Occupation: Clergyman (Anglican), Schoolmaster; Cricketer

▶Lifestory: The Revd. Percy Hattersley Smith taught for many years at Cheltenham College before retiring to Pittville at the outbreak of the First World War. He was born at Merton Hall, Cambridge,  the second and younger son of newspaper printer Henry Smith, of Cambridge, and his wife Rose (née Battans). Smith attended Perse School in Cambridge and received private tuition on the Continent before matriculating at Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1865, Foundation Scholar 1866, BA (third Senior Optime) 1869, MA 1872.

After graduating, Hattersley Smith worked for a short period in 1869 as an Assistant Master at Haileybury School, but later in the year accepted a post in the Military and Civil side of Cheltenham College from 1869, retiring after forty-four years’ service in 1913 (between 1873 and 1913 he also served there as Chaplain of the Sanatorium and Honorary Chaplain from 1914 until his death).

He also took holy orders, and was ordained Deacon in 1873, and Priest (both Gloucester and Bristol) in 1878. In 1874 he married Eleanor Mary Pearson, second daughter of Sir James Meek, of Middlethorpe Lodge, near York; they had eight children. Smith was soon given his own House at the College, and lived with his growing family as well as his pupils at first at the College’s Vittoria House (1871-4), and then at 12 Suffolk Square (1875-9), and finally at Hazelwell in College Road (1879-1902).

An accomplished cricketer, he played as a young man for his school and locally in Cambridgeshire, and also for the East Gloucestershire Club, and for Cheltenham Cricket Club; he represented Gloucestershire in eleven matches in 1878-9, with a top score of 56. He was also a prominent Freemason.

After his retirement from Cheltenham College he lived at Glenfall Lawn, All Saints Road, Pittville, from 1914 until his death at Cheltenham four years later, at the age of seventy. His wealth at death was sworn at over £25,350.

▶Moved to Pittville from:  Haileybury      Moved from Pittville to: (deceased)

▶Date of death: 19 January 1918       Place of death: Cheltenham

▶Date of burial:  22 January 1918       Place of burial:  Cheltenham

▶Notes:        ID: 14811

Contributor(s):  John Simpson/Alan Munden