John Dudeney, one of ten children of a Rottingdean shepherd, started his working life at the age of eight, when he began to follow the sheep with his father. When he was ten, a local author, perhaps recognising the child's abnormal intelligence and thirst for knowledge, gave him a small History of England and Robinson Crusoe which John read with great interest.

 

Thereafter every spare penny he could earn, from trapping wheatears and catching moles, was set aside for the purchase of further books. There was little opportunity for John to read at home, so he used to take a book or two in his coat pocket to pursue his studies by the side of his flock when they were quiet.

 

In this manner, the young shepherd mastered astronomy, Latin, algebra and geometry; he gained an extensive knowledge of European history and even taught himself to read the Bible in Hebrew. On Newmarket Hill, south of Lewes, John dug a hole amongst the heath and placed a large Flintstone over it. In the hole he kept some books and a slate for use when convenient.

 

In 1805, when John was 23, he left his flock of sheep for a flock of children when, in recognition of his learning, he was offered the post of schoolmaster in Lewes, and so spent a long and useful life.

See also: 

Sussex People Story

 

 

 

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