Dates

• Existence: 1841 - 1908

Biography

Reverend Samuel Norwood was the father of prominent educationist Cyril Norwood (1875 - 1956). Cyril was Samuel’s only child with his second wife, Elizabeth Emma Sparkes (1836 - 1912). When Cyril was born Samuel was the Head of the local grammar school at Whalley, but when this closed in 1880 the family moved to Leytonstone in Essex. Home life was marred by Samuel's drink problem; this experience left a lasting impression on Cyril, who was always deeply reserved and later became a teetotaller. Cyril managed to support himself and his mother through his own efforts at school and university.

By 1904, Samuel Norwood was living in London with the Hoborough family, and he emigrated with them to Canada in 1906 with the assistance of the Salvation Army. Samuel was employed by the Salvation Army and continued work for them in Canada whilst he persistently but unsuccessfully attempted to find employment as a teacher there. He returned to London at the end of August 1907 and on 16 September took lodgings in Lower Clapton, London, where he continued working for the Salvation Army. There are contacts with Cyril throughout the year (for example, they met on 22 December), but by the end of the year Samuel was very ill with what seems to be a serious digestive problem. The details of his life during this time are known through the diaries he kept between 1904 and 1907, however by the end of 1907 the severity of his illness meant he was unable to continue his entries. He died the following year in 1908.

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