Rowland W Purton

Seven Sisters Primary School

Rowland William Crisby Purton was born in 1925 and died in 1984. He wrote many text books for children between 1958 and 1979.

He trained at Westminster College, London, where he gained a teaching certificate and did further studies, studying part time at London University, 1959-1961.

In 1965 he became the headmaster of Seven Sisters Junior Schoool, Tottenham, in the London Borough of Haringey. He did not retire until 1983. Previous to that he was a teacher at various primary and secondary schools in the East London boroughs of Leyton, Loughton and West Ham, 1949-1965.

He married Marie Ellen Pain in 1949 and they latterly lived with their children, Colleen and Andrew, in a four bedroom house in Newham. Marie died on Christmas Day, 1974.

Among his hobbies were photography and making scale model ships. He was a Methodist lay preacher from the time he was 22.

Among his publications are these:

Our Heritage, 1958; Our Commonwealth, 1958; Our People, 1958; Our Democracy, 1958;

Days of Glory, 1961; Days of Adventure, 1961; Days of Challenge, 1962; Days of Discovery, 1962;

Surrounded by Books, 1962, rev. ed. 1970;

Discovering Ports and Harbours, 1964;

Man in Antarctica, 1964; Man in Australia, 1964; Man in Canada, 1964; Man in New Zealand, 1964;

Man and Games, 1966;

Man Tells Time, 1966;

English for Work and Play (4 books), 1966-67;

Man in the West Indies, 1967;

Captain Scott, 1968; Doctor Livingstone, 1968;

Man in the Bible Lands, 1969;

Trailblazer 1 - Forests, 1969; Trailblazer 3 - Farming, 1969;

Study Book of the Fire Service, 1969;
Surrounded by Books, Libraries in Primary and Middle Schools, 1970;

Let's Look at Maps and Mapmaking, 1971;

Farms and Farming, 1972; Churches and Religions, 1972; Ports and Sea Transport, 1972;

Know Your Town 1-4, 1972;

Rivers and Canals, 1972;

Day by Day, 1973;

Markets and Fairs, 1973; Parks and Open Spaces, 1974;

Assemblies, 1979.

In an interview Purton once stated that he came into writing almost by accident when he could not find a suitable text-book for teaching constitutional history and civics to fourteen-year olds and solved the problem by putting his lesson notes together for Our Democracy, which evolved into "New View Hastones, For him Day by Day was in more than one sense the climax of his writing." He notes that "In British schools the day begins with a short religious service. This book provides enough material, in stories and prayers, for an assembly every school day for two years without repeating ... it is not only the largest of my books but the one which endeavours to highlight a set of values for life."