Famous Nibletts

William Roy Niblett

William Roy Niblett was born on July 25, 1906 at Keynsham near Bristol the son of William Niblett and Ellen Sage. William Senior was a mechanical engineer from Kingsdown in Bristol, the son of John Niblett and Elizabeth from Kings Stanley. John, a grocer, was born in 1859, the son of Eli Niblett and Ann Ridler from Cheltenham. William married Ellen at the age of 42 while she was 39 so William Roy’s parents were older than the norm when he was born.

Many articles have been written about Roy but his obituary in The Guardian is probably the most comprehensive and is copied below. I had the distinction of following Roy to the Merchant Venturers School in Bristol (by then called Cotham Grammar School) a fact I was constantly reminded of by some of the older teachers, mostly to my detriment.

“Roy Niblett, who has died aged 98, had a wide and benign influence on postwar English education, especially higher education, of which he was the first holder of a university chair. His influence was exercised not so much through his posts or books as through informal networks, bringing together people from different segments of what he saw as a class-ridden society.

What kept them together was less Niblett's educational philosophy, which remained rooted in a liberal Christian tradition, than his ability as an endearingly effective animator of small discussion groups. His legacy is, above all, as a teacher.

Niblett was the only child of elderly parents living in Keynsham, near Bristol, the city to which the family moved when he was eight, in order to improve his chances of good secondary schooling. While his nonconformist mother prayed that her son would be good rather than clever, his father, a former engineer by then working in the grocery trade, rejoiced at his son's scholarship to the Merchant Venturers' school, as it then was, and intervened only to veto a proposal that the boy should try for Oxford. "Oxford," he said, "is beyond our station."

However, after four years at Bristol University, where he took first-class honours in English, Niblett did get to Oxford for an MLitt course. He found the teaching inferior to that at Bristol, but the friendships closer and the horizons broader.

After a teaching post at Doncaster grammar school, in 1934 he was appointed a lecturer in education at King's College, Newcastle, then part of the federal Durham University. This brought him into contact with all secondary schools in the north-east, especially their English teachers, and it was one of them, Sheila Taylor, whom he married in 1938. In 1940, he became registrar of Durham University, where he mastered the art of drafting a lucid paper - and found that, at least in a small institution, administration could be both efficient and warm.

In 1945, Niblett became professor of education at what was then University College, Hull. Again, it was a small department, allowing him time to establish what became the most influential of his networks, the Foundations Conference.

Indeed, for 14 years, he and his wife ran an annual, three-day conference for a wide range of leading educational figures. Vice chancellors, heads of teacher-training colleges and schools met directors of education and trades union secretaries to discuss the fundamental issues of education. There were 200 names on the list, of whom a carefully mixed 40 would be invited in any one year. All shared the belief that education should enable individuals to grow to their full potential, thus promoting a fairer society.

From Hull, Niblett went, in 1947, to his happiest and most fruitful post, as professor of education and director of the new Institute of Education at Leeds University. The title was significant. An institute included a university department of education, together with all the teacher-training colleges in its area. Traditionally, the university departments prepared teachers for work in secondary schools, while the colleges trained them for the primary sector.

Niblett set out to bring them together, using his usual, patient method of working on those he knew in each sector. It was a notable achievement, which put Leeds ahead of the field for many years.

Invitations soon came to Niblett to serve on committees in England and lecture abroad. He was a member of the University Grants Committee from 1949 to 1959, and chaired its sub-committee on halls of residence.

In 1959, he agreed, somewhat hesitantly, to move to London University, as professor of higher education and dean of the Institute of Education. It was not altogether a happy period. The study of education was, by then, carved up into specialist fields - psychology, sociology, philosophy and history - and talk of "foundations" was not encouraged. Niblett therefore found himself more or less confined to the task of liaison with the institute's 33 colleges of education.

Retirement from the institute in 1968 freed him to campaign full-time for the values he held dear in the twin fields of education and religion. Though always loyal to his nonconformist background, he was much drawn to the Society of Friends. At 93, he founded the Severn Forum, a theological society which now has 150 members of all denominations and none.

Niblett was a lifelong synthesist, always more concerned to reconcile divergent views than distinguish between similar ones. This made him a less penetrating scholar, but a more agreeable man. He was at his best in his beloved networks, where his genial probing and prodding of others more than compensated for a penchant for high-level abstractions. He might be teased by his friends for his unworldliness, but he had no enemies outside the ranks of dedicated secularists. Even the latest folly, as he saw it, of contemporary thought or practice would usually provoke him to nothing more violent than a resigned smile.

His wife died in 1997, and he is survived by a son and daughter.

William Roy Niblett, educationist, born July 25 1906; died May 6 2005”.

Harry Edwin Niblett

Among a number of Nibletts in the service of the country in India one of the most notable was Harry Edwin Niblett who married Sarah Milner in 1893 at Rawalpindi. Harry was born in 1871 to parents Edwin Niblett and Mary Martin at Gloucester his father having been born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. After his retirement following a distinguished career, he moved to Swindon where he became Mayor in the 1930’s. The attached photograph was kindly sent to me by Nicola Smoley.

Samuel and John Niblett

The father and son partnership of Samuel and John Niblett of Gloucester and Haresfield is part of the story of the Haresfield Nibletts. Starting from a line of bakers Samuel and John were reputed to travel to fairs and markets around various parts of Gloucestershire as bakers and merchants in groceries. Centred on Gloucester they gradually acquired reputations as casual bankers to a number of the traders they came across in the course of their activities and this led to the establishment of the Gloucester Old Bank (originally Nibletts Bank) which was established by 1776. The bank was sold in the 1790’s around the time of Samuel’s death. Both Samuel and John were made freemen of Gloucester and their new found wealth was eventually passed down to John’s son Daniel John who enhanced it by well founded dealings in land and property.

Daniel John Niblett

The story of the Haresfield dynasty of Nibletts has been told elsewhere but out of that family Daniel John Niblett was born in 1785 to John Niblett and Kitty Whitcombe. The family holdings at Haresfield and at Harescombe were passed down to him and over the rest of his life he devoted himself to improving the landholdings, eventually amassing about 1000 acres. He purchased Haresfield Manor in 1808. Haresfield had been owned by the Saxon brothers Godric and Eric before 1066 but by 1086 was in the hands of Durand the sheriff of Gloucester. The estates, including Harescombe, passed down through this family until they were sold to Kitty Niblett, Daniel’s mother in 1804. He was made a freeman of Gloucester in 1816. He married Emma Catherine Drake on Aug 20, 1808 and they produced eight children, three of whom acquired their own place in history.

John Daniel Thomas Niblett

Born in 1809 as the eldest son of Daniel John and Emma he became Lord of the manor on Daniel’s death and was a respected Justice of the Peace. He married Caroline Saunders at Clifton in Bristol on February 15, 1849 but they produced no offspring.

Edward Henry Niblett

Daniel’s second child born in 1810, Edward Henry, became a vicar and held the vicarage at both Redmarley d’Abitot and at Haresfield. There is a commemorative plaque to him at Haresfield Church. He became Lord of the Manor on the death of John Daniel. He married Mary Ann Stewart at Bristol in 1848 and it is through his son Henry Morton born 1854 that the Haresfield dynasty continues to this day.

Francis Niblett

Daniel’s third son Francis was born in 1814 and became a well known architect. He designed a number of buildings in Gloucester and Bristol as well as alterations to Haresfield church and the manor house. He married Matilda Court in 1853 in Bristol but his only son John Morton born in 1854 died in 1894 with no heirs.

Henry Niblett

Fame sometimes comes in the guise of infamy. Such is the case of Henry Niblett a publican at Stepney in London who was indicted for the murder of William Turner on Mar 4, 1798 at the Old Bailey. Niblett had been challenged by Turner to what was probably an unofficial prize fight during which Turner died. Niblett was found not guilty of murder but whether he was subsequently arraigned for manslaughter is not known. Henry had married Mary Gibson on Dec 20, 1796 and they subsequently had a son Henry Joseph christened on Oct 8, 1800 so it is unlikely there was any follow up on the case. He was a publican of good repute, according to the witnesses to his character.

Charles Niblett

Another Niblett who attained a certain degree of notoriety was Charles Niblett. He was a Sergeant Major in the Royal Hussars and as a convict was transported to Tasmania Australia in 1832 from Sheernesss aboard the vessel England (2).

In 1848 he joined the exploration led by Edmund Kennedy to survey the Cape York Peninsula, appointed to be in charge of stores. The trip was a failure and Charles was accused of stealing from the stores. The group got into difficulties, partly because of aboriginal attacks and partly because of lack of food and a poor knowledge of how to live off the land. They split up with Kennedy going off with about half the group to find help leaving the other half in their camp. Kennedy was killed by an aboriginal attack from which their aboriginal guide was the only survivor. It is not clear from the records but it appears the camp group also failed to survive and Charles’s death was recorded in 1848.

William Charles Niblett

William Charles was born in Azamgarh India in 1851 the son of Philip Niblett and Margaret McAndrew. Philip was the son of Philip Niblett a sergeant in the Berkshire 1^st Regiment of Foot who started the Indian branch of the family around 1817. William was a problem child, always in trouble, and he finally had to leave home. He left for England in 1879, joined the Inner Temple, and was called to the Bar. He did extraordinarily well. He travelled a lot in Europe and elsewhere and even did a stint of legal practice in Nigeria for a while. When back in. England in the late 1880s an agent for the Sultan of Johore recommended him as a barrister for the Rajah. This brought him to Singapore where he settled down to an excellent law practice. He purchased and leased large amounts of real estate and profited from their development as they became immensely valuable. He now began to forget his family but kept in touch occasionally with his two sisters, Henrietta and Ellen, also occasionally sending them large remittances. In 1905 he returned to England having become a very wealthy man.

In 1912, William, at age 61yrs, married Jessica Winifred Tacon and took her on a honeymoon trip around the world, including two months in Singapore. Here he resumed relations with a former mistress. His wife left him and immediately returned to England where she was later confined to a mental asylum. William also returned to England where his health deteriorated considerably, and he looked around to see how he could spend his wealth. William's nephew, Lance, used to relate a story that in 1915 he (William) planned to return to India to decide on how to share his wealth with the family, but his boat was torpedoed in the Mediterranean and after his rescue he returned to England and abandoned the idea. In Dec. 1915 he conveyed all his property by deed to the Treasurer and Masters of the Inner Temple in return for an annuity plus income tax. He also made large donations to the Charing Cross and London hospitals.

1n 1917 William met and married Alice Susanne Deveson, a widow aged 59 yrs, a "lady of superior position, kindness and consideration” Apparently he hoped that, with his lawful wife being in an asylum, no one would bring his bigamy to notice but Jessica’s father had been keeping an eye on him and notified the Master-in-Lunacy who brought charges of bigamy against William. Robin's account of the trial and its outcome are given in the history. Eventually, because of his aged condition, poor health, and his wife’s mental condition, he was sentenced to prison for only a month. Divorce proceedings were commenced and a decree nisi followed, but in April 1920 William died from the effects of an accident resulting from slipping on the footboard of a bus. He is buried in Kensal Green cemetery in London.

William Charles Niblett acquired great wealth but his end was lonely and tragic. He had given away most of his wealth, but what remained was passed on as donations to various claimants and to his sisters, Henrietta and Ellen. The Inner Temple built two modern lecture halls in 1932 (the Niblett Lecture Halls) on the proceeds from his estate. They escaped the German Blitz in Word War 11, but were later destroyed by fire and were finally demolished in 1992 to make way for the new Littleton Building. The wall of the Littleton building still contains a frieze of Pegasus from the original Niblett Hall. Scholarships were also created for some relatives.

Emma Louise Niblett

Known by her stage name Scout Niblett, Emma was born on Sep 29, 1973 at Stafford to Errol L Niblett and Wendy P Trow. Her father was born in India and moved to England in 1950. Although her biography indicates she came from Nottingham she was brought up in Staffordshire. She attended Nottingham University where she obtained a first class honours degree. As a song writer and singer her music has been described as Indie Rock. The moods of her music are on the melancholy side being variously described as brittle, austere, brooding and bleak. The name Scout came from Harper Lee’s “To kill a mocking bird”. She currently lives in the USA.

Carol Neblett

As the Nebletts in the U S are descended from the Niblett line I have included two of them here. The first is Carol Neblett a soprano who has sung with many world famous names and graced the stage in New York, San Diego and Los Angeles among many others round the world. Born on June 1, 1946 she now lives in Modesto California.

Dorothy Perkins Neblett

I have had the privilege of meeting Dorothy and her husband and am in awe of her achievements in researching and writing nine books on family history each one a substantial volume. This unassuming and generous lady has achieved much more in her lifetime than most. Her books comprise five genealogies and four histories.  One history is about her father, Robert A. Neblett, M.D., who served in the Southwest Pacific in World War II.  It is a record of and commentary on his letters to her mother through the war and is a history of those times.

Others are on the Neblett and Perkins families while another is from the journal of Eudora Adelaide Barbee Neblett written between 1865 and 1925.  Eudora was married to the Rev. Robert Alexander Neblett, a Methodist/Episcopal South Circuit Rider.

Dorothy received her BSc degree from the University of Texas at Austin, taught school, had two children, has done volunteer work and written the books mentioned.

War Time Nibletts

Many Nibletts served their country in the military and their dedication is expressed in the best possible way by the experience of three generations of one Australian family. I include the record of this family not because the members were especially famous, although one did receive the Military Medal, but because they represent Nibletts everywhere whose lives followed a similar pattern between 1914 and 1970 and to commemorate those of the family who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The information was supplied by Sheila Lanning nee Niblett of Geelong, Victoria, Australia and is reproduced by the kind permission of Gwen Niblett.

Silas White Niblett was born at Bellarine Victoria in 1882 the son of Frederick Charles Niblett and Mary White. He enlisted in the 21^st Battalion 1^st AIF on March 30, 1915. After 2 months training he sailed for Egypt on the Ulyssis.

On August 30^th he embarked for Gallipoli on the Southland but was torpedoed 40 miles from Lemmos. Among others, he was rescued by the hospital ship Neuralia, eventually reaching the trenches at Gallipoli on September 7^th. After a dislocated shoulder at Anzac Cove on October 23^rd he took part in the attack on Lone Pine Plateau where, in December, he was wounded and invalided to Egypt on the Dunluce Castle.

In Mar 1916 he sailed for France joining the front line at Fleurbaix and later at Rue Mail and Pozieres. In the fighting at Mouquet Farm on August 17^th he was badly wounded but recovered and returned to duty again at Ypres in June 1917. By Jannuary 1918 his old wounds were causing such a problem that at Neuve Eglisse he was forced to leave his Battalion and was invalided to England. After treatment there he returned to Australia aboard the Kenilworth Castle via South Africa and was finally discharged in August 1918 having served 1220 days.

James Niblett, born February 10, 1919 was the son of Silas White Niblett and Mary Josephine Lynch. He enlisted in the 2/6 Australian Infantry Battalion 2^nd AIF on March 11, 1941. This was the first of 4 attempts to enlist as he suffered from a hernia condition that was causing him some problems after an operation. He was finally passed fit by a doctor who noted that he thought this lad will make a good soldier.

His first training camp was at Darley but soon embarked on the Queen Mary bound for Palestine in the Middle East. He ttok part in the Syrian campaign but was then called back to Australia to meet the growing Japanese menace, arriving back in Australia via Ceylon on August 6, 1942.

The unit very soon embarked for New Guinea where they were involved in cleaning up the Milne Bay offensive (the first land defeat suffered by the Japanese). They then moved to Port Moresby followed by Samoa in a 9 month stint before returning to Australia. After retraining and reinforcement the Battalion embarked again in 1944 to Itabi New Guinea taking part in many skirmishes and spending Christmas there. Early in January 1945 they were involved in intense hand to hand combat with the Japanese with Jim’s platoon under intense pressure. It was here that Jim was involved in the action that won him the Military Medal. Quoting from his Citation “During a successful attack in the Maprik region, Private Niblett distinguished himself by advancing in the open, under enemy fire and killing two snipers who were holding up the section. Next day during a two and a half hour attack on the enemy who were entrenched in strong positions, he displayed courage of the highest order. In the face of heavy enemy fire he stood up to throw grenades and fire his Owen Sub-machine gun. He continued to harass the next pill box and when unable to dislodge the occupants with fire he charged the pit firing his gun from the hip. In this attack he had to move through heavy cross fire and showed absolute disregard for his own safety. It was because of his persistent attacks that his section secured its objective with only two casualties. Throughout Priate Niblett’s conduct was an outstanding example of courage and initiative.”

He continued in the campaign at Wewak where, once again, in heavy fighting Jim was seriously wounded on April 16, 1945 receing a burst of machine gun fire in his leg. He was evacuated from the front line back to Australia where he received treatment at Heidleburg Military Hospital in Melbourne arriving on June 29^th. After a lengthy and painful stay in hospital he was discharged on July 17, 1946 having served for 1955 days. Although he returned to the work force and worked for CIG for two years the pain from his leg forced him into further treatment and operations until, finally, his leg ahd to be amputated. He had an artificial leg fitted in 1949 and then applied for and was granted a Soldier Settler Block at Cobden on April 16, 1950 that he successfully operated, despite his artificial leg until his retirement in 1988. In this time he proved himself a tireless worker for the community, taking part in many charitable organizations. With his Army background the R.S.L. beacame a vital part of his life.

Ralph James Niblett was the son of James Niblett and Gwen McEwen born January 12, 1949.He was called up for National Service on March 16, 1969.

As a private in the 4RAR he did his training at various camps and embarked for Vietnam from Townsville on May 13, 1971.

The details of what happened there are contained in a lengthy explanantion by Ralph’s company commander Lt. Col G. J. Mackay. I have summarized his report as follows.

The platoon was attacking an entrenched enemy bunker position and, crawling forward, they found themselves caught in intense cross fire from small arms and mortars between two bunkers. Ralph Niblett was hit in the chest and was badly wounded but the remainder of the platton managed to drag him back to safety as they retreated. Four men were lost in the battle. Unfortunately Ralph succumbed to his wounds aboard the rescue helicopter and died on September 21,1971 just a few weeks before his National Service was due to end.

In his letter to James and Gwen Lt. Col Mackay wrote: “ It reminds me of how professional and cool your son was under fire. The days leading up to the 21^st September were some of the toughest our platoon had to endure and on more than one occasion Ralph was in the thick of things. I say that not to relive the past, but to remind myself of what fine soldiers our country had fighting in Vietnam. It was so important to be able to write to you and let you know how we fought and died in that war. I want to assure you both that while you lost a son, our platoon and indeed Delta Company lost a mate and his passing was a real loss to us all. You have every reason to be proud of a man who did the job his Government asked of him; he sought no concessions from anyone. I was honoured to have served with him and know him.”

Dr. Alfred Edgar Niblett (1888-1973)

One of the well known names in Cheltenham in the nineteenth century was that of Niblett & Co soda water and ginger ale manufacturers of Stroud and Cheltenham. The company was started by Charles Niblett born at Painswick in 1817. He married Selena Hunt as a widower on June 18, 1849 at Bristol. Selena is listed in the 1851 census as a bread and flour dealer while Charles is in London presumably on business. Charles died on July 25, 1881. His eldest son Charles James moved to Osnabroeck, Germany and married Anna Borstelmann there on December 13, 1873.

Alfred Edgar Niblett was born to Charles James and Anna on November 4, 1888 in Osnabruck  .  He graduated from the University of Birmingham in 1911 and submitted the first part of his doctoral dissertation to the University of Munich in 1913. It is assumed that Alfred was studying and/or lecturing when the First World War broke out.

He later became a distinguished foreign languages teacher in Leeds until his retirement in the early 1950s, and remained in the city until his eventual death in 1973.  He married in 1919 and had two daughters and four grandchildren.

Dr. Alfred Edgar Niblett was an internee in Ruhleben in Germany during the first World War, as explained by his grandson John Rigg in July 2006. Amongst the personal documents that Alfred accrued in the camp, which were passed onto John's mother, were two editions of the camp magazine.

Chris Paton, who has extensively researched the history of the Ruhleben camp, notes from the handbook of the Ruhleben Football Association Season 1915, that Niblett was from 1 Broomfield Avenue, Palmers Green, London, He was an assistant master in Osnabruck and following his arrest on 3 NOV 1914 was sent to Hanover and then Ruhleben, where he was interned in Barrack 3.