Maurice Ouseley
Maurice was an improtant local historian who took many photographs of the area. Many of these are stored in Dorset County Museum and are featured in several pages on the village website.
This page is about his life and has been produced from material kindly provide by his daughter Rachel Ouseley
Brief CV
Maurice Henry Ouseley - born 10.3.1906 in Rock House, Burton Bradstock. Died 2.1.1978 in Croydon, London.
Family:
¨ Mother: Mabel Blanche Ouseley (nee Head), born in Guernsey
¨ Father: Walter Henry Ouseley, born in Devon. He became a Church Army Evangelist,
serving the communities in Burton, Shipton Gorge and West Bay (in the little
upper room), till his death on 28th May 1922
¨ Aline Mary Beatrice - his younger sister died when she was 21.
They and my parents are all buried in the cemetery in Burton.
¨ Married: Margaret Helen Irene Vagts- they met in Burton Bradstock in 1944,
when she was staying at the lodgings his mother was running at the time on the
road leading to Bridport (the houses on the right as you go out towards Bridport)
¨ Three children: Rachel, Duncan and Bernice.
School:
¨ Bridport Grammar School: 1920-1924- he walked or cycled there. He also
went to school in Guernsey.
Training:
¨ He got a teacher's Certificate in 1926, from College of St Mark and St
John
¨ He went to Fitzwilliam House, Cambridge and got his BA and MA
¨ He went to London University Institute of Education > MA 1948: Research
into Senior Children's morale under air-raids. He didn't complete his PhD into
early polytechnics.
Career
¨ 1923-1924: Student Teacher at Burton CE school
¨ 1926-1934: Assistant teacher at St Luke's CE Boy's School, Cambridge
¨ 1935-1943: Assistant teacher at Merton Central CE Boys' school - Merton,
London
¨ 1944-1947: Assistant master at Wallington County School for Boys. Specialised
in Geography and RE
¨ 1947-1950: Lecturer at Emergency Teachers' Training College, Wandsworth
for men returning from the Forces. (my father was not well enough to go himself
to the wars) Specialised in English and Education
1950-1969: Lecturer at Battersea Polytechnic - Education and Psychology. It
became the Polytechnic of the South Bank.
Interests:
Heraldry, Godparents, Guernsey, Church activities and Christianity, Research
into family history, Archaeology, Photography, Family.
Maurice's father Walter was the Lay Reader at St Andrews Mission Church known as "The Little Upper Room" from 1902 till his death in 1922. A water colour painting, given by Maurice, hangs in the Vestry of the church which now takes its place - St John's.
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Maurice's mother Mabel (nee Head) who originated from a Guernsey family of eight
Rock House, Burton Bradstock where Maurice was born
Rock House with Maurice's mother in the middle and his cousin Phyllis Winterflood on the right
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Maurice and his sister Bee (1912)
A family group (1916)
Bee, Maurice Mabel and Walter
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Maurice, wife Margaret, mother and eldest daughter Rachel (1949)