It was a privilege to welcome the family of Trinity’s first-ever Headmaster – William Ingrams (1882-1905) – to the school last week. William Ingrams was head of the ‘Croydon Poor School’, part of the original legacy of former Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift from 1858 until 1881 before becoming Headmaster of our current school, which was founded as Whitgift Middle School, in 1882.
Two of William Ingrams’s great, great grandsons Douglas Ingrams and his brother Peter, as well as Peter’s son Alexander, were visiting Croydon from Bristol, France and The Netherlands to trace the memorial of William in Croydon Minster and other members of their family.
They met with our Archivist, Laurie King, to visit a number of historic Croydon sites where their ancestors would have frequented. This included a tour of the Almshouses, where they met the new CEO of the Foundation, Roisha Hughes, and Old Palace (which retains much of that incredible history) and the original site of the Poor School and Whitgift Middle School, in central Croydon.
Alasdair Kennedy, our school’s ninth Headmaster, then welcomed the Ingrams to Trinity School, where they discussed the progress and development of the school over recent years and had a look around. A portrait of their great, great, grandfather hangs in the Sandison Room and provided the perfect photo opportunity for the visit.
Laurie was also able to fill the Ingrams in on the legacy of their family and the links to Trinity School (Whitgift Middle School) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One grandson of William Ingrams, named Frank Ridley Ingrams, attended Whitgift Middle School (1908-1911) and sadly died in battle in France in 1917. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1916 and is commemorated at Thiepval – which our Third Year History students visit every year – as well as on our War Memorial in the school grounds.
Laurie said, “It was such a pleasure to meet the Ingrams family and share so many details of our mutual history. It brought to life what our first Headmaster, William Ingrams, achieved back in the late 19th and early 20th Century and the amazing journey he started for our school.”
The Trinity Archive is open to all members of the community and includes material dating back to 1898. If you would like access, please contact: lck@trinity.croydon.sch.uk
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