Edward Wooler (28 October 1851 – 7 July 1927) was a solicitor, author, councillor, alderman and

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

from

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

Early life

Wooler was born on 28 October 1851 in

. He was the eldest son of solicitor Octavius Borrodaile Wooler. His childhood home was number 6 Harewood Hill, Darlington and he was educated at St. Peter's School in York.Peterite July 1927
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Career

Wooler practiced as a solicitor at the firm Wooler and Wooler, at 36 Priestgate, Darlington, from c.1879 until his death in 1927. He was elected as a Conservative councillor for Darlington's Central Ward on 6 January 1897 eventually succeeding at six successive elections. In 1915 he was elected an alderman for the town and held the position of Chairman of the Tramways Committee, the Education Committee and the Health Committee. Wooler was a founding member of the Darlington Footpaths Preservation Society, formed on 10 May 1875 at a meeting in the Mechanics Institute to protest against wealthy landowners illegally fencing off public footpaths. In response to Edwin Lucas Pease blocking a footpath through his land at Bushel Hill in Mowden, Wooler led a group of ramblers from the Society in attacking the fencing and "vigorously set himself to work and cut down nine palings which crossed the path". In 1894 Wooler purchased the Hat and Feathers pub and two adjacent cottages in Church Row with the specific intention of having them demolished to open out and improve the view of

St Cuthbert's Church, Darlington St Cuthbert's Church, Darlington is a parish church in the Church of England Diocese of Durham in Darlington, County Durham. History The church dates from the early 12th century. The church became collegiate when Richard Whitton was appointed by ...

. By the same year, 1894, Wooler also owned Bennet House in Horsemarket, Darlington and according to local legend had the west wall of Bennet House demolished and rebuilt six inches further in to widen Bull Wynd, the alley next to it, from 8 ft 6in to back to 9 ft which was its original width. Bennet House's Grade II listed status states that there was a 'right return to Bull Wynd rebuilt in modern brick' so this may be true.

Antiquarian activities

Wooler was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and also a member of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne for nearly 30 years. He had particular interest in the

Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications (also known as 'Stanwick Camp'), a huge Iron Age hill fort, sometimes but not always considered an oppidum, comprising over of ditches and ramparts enclosing approximately of land, are situated in Richmondsh ...

in the North Riding of Yorkshire, a large fortification of the

Brigantes The Brigantes were Ancient Britons who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England. Their territory, often referred to as Brigantia, was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire. The Greek geogr ...

, and also

Piercebridge Roman Fort Piercebridge Roman Fort (possibly originally known as ''Morbium'' or ''Vinovium'') is a scheduled ancient monument situated in the village of Piercebridge on the banks of the River Tees in modern-day County Durham, England. There were Romans h ...

and led a number of educational visits to these sites.

Personal life

In 1874 Wooler married Dorothy Hannah Heslop, the daughter of Darlington wine merchant Robert Heslop, at St Mary's Church, Scarborough. They had three sons. Wooler's private residence was 'Danesmoor', Carmel Road, Darlington, from before 1881 until his death in 1927. The building is now Grade II listed and is used as a nursery.

Death

Wooler died on 7 July 1927 and left £57,750 in his will which is today equivalent to £2,644,106. In the October after his death there was a sale of his collection of historical deeds held at Danesmoor. These are now held by

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

. He left a bequest of over 1,600 books on archaeology and local antiquities to the Yorkshire Philosophical Society and it has been claimed that his ghost haunts the library of the Yorkshire Museum in York.

Publications

Wooler co-wrote, with Alfred Caine Boyde, the children's textbook ''Historic Darlington'', published in 1913. Wooler also authored the book ''The Roman Fort at Piercebridge'' published in 1917. He wrote papers for the ''Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne'' and the ''Yorkshire Archaeological Journal''. The Crown Street Library in Darlington holds a number of Wooler's published articles and other documents in its local history section.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wooler, Edward People educated at St Peter's School, York 1851 births 1927 deaths Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People from Darlington