Stanley Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 November 1816 Clapham, South London |
| Died | 22 October 1897 Amersham |
| Education | Bromsgrove School |
| Known for | Books on Mail and Stage Coaches |
Stanley Harris was an English Solicitor, an attorney at law, who also wrote articles and books on horse drawn Mail and Stage Coaches.
In his first book, Old Coaching Days, he tells of attending Bromsgrove School and when terms were over he would return to Bristol. His origins and connections to London are revealed in the book Forty Years at the Post Office,[1] written by a senior postal official, who came from the town of Chipping Barnet. The author stated that Harris was a fellow townsman of his and indeed Harris appears in the Census of 1871 in Wood Street, Chipping Barnet, with the occupation of Solicitor and birthplace of Clapham. That Stanley Harris of Barnet was the author was confirmed by The Liverpool Evening Express when it announced his passing.[2] In his books Old Coaching Days and The Coaching Age,[3] Harris recalls the romance of pre railway Stagecoach travel for those too young to have experienced it. This style of travel was recreated for real by Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, hero of the RMS Lusitania, who from 1907 to 1914 restarted a London to Brighton coach and often took the driving seat himself. As well as his work as a Solicitor, Harris was from 1863 to 1882 the Town Clerk of Chipping Barnet.[4] The work of a Town Clerk is to ensure the Town Council operates legally and also to be in charge of the council administration and staff. In this role Harris had to decide his own salary and chose to take one Guinea per month (1.05 pounds) or 12.60 pounds a year. Current salary rates for Town Clerks are in six figures. In contrast to Town Clerk, the role of Mayor was more ceremonial and to chair meetings.
References edit
Family Life edit
Stanley Harris was born 29th November 1816 in Clapham and baptized, along with several siblings, on 3rd July 1817 at St. Mary's Battersea. His father was listed as Samuel Harris, Merchant. In the 1891 census, Harris is recorded living with his daughter Harriet and son in law Charles Drewe Harris, Wine Merchant, birthplace Bristol, at 123 West End Lane, Hampstead. When Harriet married on 17th November 1880 at Chipping Barnet Parish Church, the father of the Groom was listed as Charles Harris, Solicitor. So it seems the Bride and Groom may have been cousins, distant or otherwise, and could explain why the young Stanley Harris was based in Bristol during his school days.