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| Recognising Tonbridge image |
The blue Jane Austen Society plaque was recognised by a number of
readers via Twitter, however it seems that its situation in the town
isn't widely known. John Urquhart of Tonbridge Dental Centre obviously
knows Tonbridge very well, as he was the only person to recognise the
plaque's position on The Cawthorne Lecture Theatre at Tonbridge School.
This is the building situated at the front of the school, and recognisable
by the protected stained glass window facing the High Street. Before
conversion the building was a chapel. The plaque is not visible
from the road as it is fixed on the wall at the entrance to the lecture
theatre.
The memorial to George Austen, Jane Austen's
father, commemorates his time as a pupil and later his position of Master at the
School. It is placed on The Cawthorne Lecture Theatre as Cawthorn was
the headmaster who chose George Austen for the position of Second
Master. There is a memorial to Cawthorne in the church.
Is
this the very same Cawthorne who supposedly locked a boy in a cupboard,
forgot him and caused the boy's death? If anyone knows more about this
sad tale please let me know.
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| Cawthorn Lecture Theatre - Tonbridge School |
In Margaret Wilson's book: Jane Austen's family and Tonbridge on p22 there are some lines about Cawthorn. She says he was only twenty-four and known as a strict disciplinarian. I have heard the story of the boy in the cupboard but maybe it grew out of his reputation and was not actualy fact? Vivian Branson
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