HOOSON, JOHN (1883 - 1969), teacher, scholar

Name: John Hooson
Date of birth: 1883
Date of death: 1969
Spouse: Gwen Hooson (née Storey)
Gender: Male
Occupation: teacher, scholar
Area of activity: Education; Patriots; Scholarship and Languages
Author: Hugh Emlyn Hooson

Born in 1883 at Nant, a farmhouse in the Hiraethog area of Denbigh, son of Thomas Hooson and his wife Marged. The family moved to Maelor, Saron and then to Colomendy and Graig, near Denbigh. John Hooson was educated at Prion school and at the county school, Denbigh. He started to work on the farm but suffered from ill health. He returned to school and in 1903 won a scholarship to the University College of North Wales, Bangor where he graduated with honours in Latin (1906) and French (1907). Later he obtained the M.A. degree of the University of Wales. He continued his studies at the Sorbonne and the University of Berlin and travelled widely on the continent. He spent the whole of his professional life teaching French, German and Italian - at Taunton School, Somerset for eight years and then at the City of Westminster School for over thirty years.

However his main interest was in the life and culture of Wales, particularly the social and economic life of Hiraethog and the Vale of Clwyd. He was an authority on the place-names of these areas and on their famous people - such as the Myddleton family, Galch Hill, Denbigh, the Salusbury family, Emrys ap Iwan, Thomas Jones, Thomas Gee of Denbigh and Owain Myfyr, as well as the connections of English writers, such as Dr. Johnson with the Clwyd valley. He lectured frequently in Welsh and in English at the London Welsh centre, London Welsh chapels and to societies in Hiraethog and the Clwyd valley. He contributed articles on his favourite subjects to publications such as Y Ddinas, Y Drysorfa, Y Traethodydd, The London Welshman and to local papers in Wales. He was prominent in London-Welsh religious life and he was an elder at Clapham Junction Welsh Presbyterian Church for many years. He married Gwen Storey of Wynnstay, Denbigh and they had one daughter. He died 19 July 1969 in London.

Author

Published date: 2001

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