In some correspondence on a completely different subject David Oakley, of Heathfield, East Sussex, asked about the surname Collingwood. I don't normally answer such general questions - but as it occurs on my Bernard's Heath Newspaper index and links in with other pages I have decided to post my reply here.

A quick check shows that in the 1851 census a Thomas Collingwood (24, married, cordwainer, born Harefield, Middlesex) was lodging in Holywell Hill, St Albans. The house was next to "The Post Boy", publican James Everett, and may have been a separate annex. (See The Inns & Public Houses of St Albans  in the 19th Century.)

The Herts Advertiser of 27th June 1868 reported a cricket match played on Bernards Heath between six elder pupils (J. Stevens, W. Field, G. Urlwin, H. Parry, T. Connor, and W. Hasell) of Claremont House School and eleven younger pupils (R. Atkinson, A. Atkinson, T. Stevens, W. A. Litchfield, Turner, F. Collingwood, F. Nobbs, C. Nobbs, C. Nobbs, E. Palin, Hogwood,  and J. Kinder.):

Claremont House School would appear to have been what we now call a prep school, and as F. Collingwood was one of the younger children he may still have been there (as a boarder?) at the time of the 1871 census. For details of an earlier cricket match involving the school see Schools Cricket on Bernards Heath, St Albans. For a later school advert see Educational Adverts

If you can add to the information given above tell me.

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