Edward Albert Martin AKA Edward Alfred Martin

Also known as Edward Alfred Martin
See biographical notes produced by his granddaughter Pauline K Robinson (nee Marstrand), deposited in Croydon Local History Library (Philip Martin has a photocopy). She had his year of birth as 1863 and described him as the eighth of nine sons. Much of the information Philip Martin has about the descendants of E A Martin come from this document which was written in October 1987. It does appear to have been written largely from memory and whilst it is an excellent document it does contain some errors particularly in dates (eg the date of death of H K Martin) and in the recording of second Christian names (eg in the case of EA Martin's son Cyril who she describes as Cyril Alfred but whose will has Cyril Huntly)

Author of:

"A Bibliography of Gilbert White the Naturalist and Antiquarian of Selbourne with a Biography and Descriptive Account of the Village of Selbourne" first published before 1920. Philip Martin has a copy of the revised edition that was published by Halton and Company Ltd of 57 Haymarket, London in 1934.

"Brighton's Lost River" in South Eastern Naturalist and Antiquary (Transactions of the South Eastern Union of Scientific Studies) Vol XIX p39-56, 1915.

"Dew Ponds" in Antiquity Magazine Vol 4 p347-351
"Dew Ponds" booklet reprinted from Knowledge and Scientific News, May& June 1907
"Dew Ponds" booklet reprinted from The Geographical Journal August 1909, publised Royal Geographic Society. Also October 1910.

"Dew Ponds, History, Observation and Experiment". Illus. 6/-208 pages7
"The Glaciation of the South Downs" in South Eastern Naturalist and Antiquary

"Croydon Old and New" 1904 (was either a joint author or is mentionedin it)

"Life in a Sussex Windmill with some Amenities of the South Downs" 1920

"Outlines of Sussex Geology and Other Essays" pub. Archer and Co 1932. 204p. Philip Martin has a copy. This includes some local history notes of Brighton from the period of his childhood.

"The Story of a Piece a Coal"
"Glimpses into Natures secrets"
"Nature-Chat"
"Problems in Coastal Erosion" 16pp 1914
"Sea Erosion and Coastal Protection" in SE Nat & A Vol XI p35-49
"The Pleistocene Cliff Formations of Brighton" in SE Nat & A Vol XXXIV

Childhood: spent summer months as a child in a cottage at Patcham

c 1884 approx: Apparently lived for a few years in Ackroyd Road (off Brockley Rise), Forest Hill

1889 No mention in Ward's Croydon Directory
1891 Ward's Croydon Directory - 21 Carew Road, Thornton Heath - also at this address in 1893,1894 and 1895 Ward's Directory

1896 Ward's Croydon Directory - 69 Bensham Road (presumably Bensham Manor Road or Bensham Lane), Thornton Heath

1899 Ward's Croydon Directory - 69 Bensham Road, Thornton Heath
1899 Kelly's Croydon Directory - EA Martin FGS, 69 Bensham Road, Thornton Heath
1900 Ward's Croydon Directory - 23 Campbell Road (off Bensham Lane), Thornton Heath

1901 Presented with an album relating to the Croham Hurst Campaign, this together with a book of newspaper cuttings, letters and accounts relating to the Croham Hurst purchase during the period 1849-1901 is (1995) in the Croydon Local History Library under reference S70(333)CRO

1902 Ward's Croydon Directory - 23 Campbell Road, Thornton Heath

1902-1936 Member of Croydon Public Libraries Committee

1907 Walked on the South Downs with his son Cyril on Good Friday

1908-1910 Lived (rented not owned) Clayton Windmill (the brick Tower Mill known as Jack he said was built in 1876; Brunarius has 1866), with his wife. See "Life in a Sussex Mill and Brunarius pages 76-78; "the archaelogist E A Martin used the base as a holiday hime in 1908, 1909 and 1910". Further references to Clayton Mill in Sussex Life magazine April 1966 page 37, November 1972, page 26, February 1974 page 34, January 1979 page 18, this article mentioning "the archaelogist E A Martin" living at the mill while researching dew ponds

1930 Ward's Croydon Directory lists him at 10 Howden Road (off South Norwood Hill, SE25), South Norwood. Also listed at this address was L.P. Arnold, solicitor. Howden Road was mentioned as one of his places of abode by Pauline K Robinson (nee Marstrand) in her biographical note.

1931 Autumn Regiser of Electors; at 14 High View Close, South Norwood, SE25 (this is the first time that High View Close is listed, presumably the house was built c1930/31)

1935 14th October. Electoral Roll; at 14 Highview Close, South Norwood SE19/25 (Upper Norwood Walk) with wife and daughter Grace Winifred Martin

1936 Letter from him to The Sussex County Magazine (Vol X, page 219) concerning Clayton Windmill. His address was then Norwood, SE19

1938 Mentioned in the preface to "Dewponds in Fact and Fable" by Alfred J Pugsley, Philip Martin has a photocopy.

18th January 1938, Biographical article in series Norwood Notables byW B Goldsmith. This indicates he was still living in Highview Close. Philip Martin has a photocopy.

c1938 (Pauline K Robinson) has 1936) he and his wife retired to Hove

1943 Died at Brighton Municipal Hospital, Elm Grove. Address on deathcertificate was 21 Clifton Terrace, Brighton. Occupation given as retired GPO Clerk. Aged 79. Cause of death Myocardial degeneration, informant was his son Hereward. GRO Ref 1943 2b 400.

1944 Obituary by A S Woodward, Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, 100, LXXIV 1944

1995 There is a collection of biographical cuttings etc in Croydon Local History Library under reference S0(92)MAR

According to granddaughter Pauline K Marstrand, he also lived in Holmesdale Road and Whitworth Road.

He had a number of grandchildren.

Commander of the Metropolitan Special Constabulary Reserve
Vice President Croydon Natural History Society
Editor, South Eastern Union of Scientific Studies
Hon Member Gilbert White Fellowship
Croydon Public Libraries Commitee
Hon Curator of the Grange Wood Museum for 8 years before World War I
Used to sing in the Handel Festival Choir
Was to travel to Ghent with the Imperial Choir just before World War1but the visit was cancelled
Played the Cello
An artist - sketches and watercolours

Mentioned and a photograph of him in "Croydon: A Pictorial History" by John B Gent, Phillimore, 1991 ISBN 0 85033 800X. Text accompanying plate 162: "Edward A Martin (left) was born in Brighton in 1864 and died there in 1943. Naturalist, geologist and author, he lived in Croydon for much of his life and was a member of the Borough Library Committee from 1902 until 1936 and vice-chairman from 1926to 1936. He is pictured here with Henry Keatley Moore in about 1900. Both were prominentin the campaigns to save Croham Hurst from building development and toprevent the demolition of the Whitgift Hospital".

Articles sent to Karen Langridge by Croydon Local History Library:

Edward Alfred Martin:
1864-1943

E.A Martin was born on 20 January 1864 at Brighton, and died there on14 December 1943. In between, he lived at Thornton Heath, and for a short while, in one of the Clayton Windmills, where he took up residenceabout 1908. He does not appear, from his book "Life in a Sussex Windmill", to have lived there permanently. Rather, the impression is that he used the mills as a second home, or weekend country retreat. He appears to have left the mills by 1920, when the book was published.

Martin was a most interesting character, and of considerable importance to us in Croydon, for we owe largely to his efforts the preservation of Croham Hurst, and of the Whitgift Almhouses, and the curation ofthe only public museum the town has ever had.

He was a member of a great many societies, and appears to have held office in most of them. They included the Brighton and Hove Natural History Society, our own Society, the Commons, Open Spaces and Footpaths Preservation Society, the Gilbert White Fellowship, the Selbourne Society, the South-Eastern Union of Scientific Societies, and many others.He was a Fellow of Geological Society from 1895 onwards, and Curator of the Grange Wood Museum at Croydon for the greater part of its life,approximately 1901 - 1939 (with a break during and after the first World War, when it was closed.) He was ourPresident for 1917 - 1918.

He lectured frequently to these and other bodies, mainly on geological topics, and contributed large numbers of notes and papers (of whicha sample is mentioned in the bibliogrpahy) to a number or periodicals, notably Hardwicke's Science Gossip and Knowledge and Scientific News.

It is, therefore, somewhat surprising that obituary notices for Martin are so scarce. The most informative one traced is in the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London.

Martin's work was as a Civil Servant with the G.P.O, and he was, also, a Commander of the Metropolitan Special Constabulary Reserve.

He appears to have become active in amateur geology and natural history in his mid to late twenties, and by 1892 he had already published two popular books on natural history - "Amidst Nature's Realms" and "Glimpses into Nature's Secrets". His most substantial work, a bibliography of Gilbert White, appeared as early as 1896, and is still a standard reference work, and has recently been reprinted.Contributions to Hardwicke's Science Gossip commenced during the 1890s, whilst to the endof that decade he was very much involved with the massive public campaign to protect Croham Hurst from residential development (1899-1901)

Early in the new century he became Honarary Curator of the Grange Wood Museum (then, curiously, managed by the Borough's Roads Commitee - because the committee was also responsible for parks, and themuseum stood in a park!)

Another association with the local authority also dates from about the same time. He was co-opted onto the Borough's Library Committee in 1902, and in later years became vice-chairman, from 1926 to 1936.

Some years' research into the subject of dew-ponds culminated in several papers, and a book which ran to three editions. His observations were extended when, in about 1908, he provided himself with quarters atClayton Windmills, allowing him to make observations and measurementshigh up on the downs at all times of day and night.

He was closely concerned with conservation again between about 1913 and the 1920s, during the long dispute about Croydon Corporation's plans to demolish the Trinity Hospital of John Whitgift (the Whitgift Almhouses) to make North End wider for the passage of the trams. This particular battle was fought all the way to the House of Lords - and the corporation lost. Ironically, now, the trams have long gone, we have plans for a ring-road and already have an underpass at Park Lane and a flyover, and it appears that both North End and George Street may wellbecome a pedestrian precinct!

In 1919, eighteen years' observations of coastal erosion resulted in publication of a paper on weathering at Black Rock, Brighton. "Life ina Sussex Windmill" was published in 1920, and "Natural History and Antiquities of Croydon" three years later. This latter book was a reprinted collection of popular notes and articles from the Croydon TImes.

After his retirement, he produced a book "Outlines of Sussex Geology"in 1932, and became active with the Brighton and Hove Natural HistorySociety - he was a member of that Society's Council about 1938.

Author: Paul W Sowan, Secretary, Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society Ltd

Bibliography:

Undated Publications:

The Brighton Rubble-Drift Formation. Hastings and East Sussex Naturalist 3(1), 64-67 + p1.5

Coal Mines under Surrey, Surrey Magazine 2, 245

Grange Wood Museum Guides, published by Croydon Corporation

Guide to the Anthropological Collection 14pp
Roman Remains In and Around Croydon
Save the Whitgift Hospital - leaflet
To Save the Whitgift Hospital - a short history. Leaflet.

Dated Publications:

Afield to Margate and in the Isle of Thanet - The Field Club 2(1), 9-10 dated 1891
Amidst Nature's Realms: a series of Zoological, Botanical and Geological Essays, London: xiv and 157 pp dated 1892
Glimpses into Nature's Secrets, or Strolls on Beach and Down. 2nd Edition, London x 131 pp - dated 1892
Foreign Boulders in the Chalk, Geol. Mag, Dec 4 4 169 - dated 1897
Croydon, Old and New - dated 1898
Croydon Water, Science Gossip n.s 5, p. 93 dated 1898
A Field Club Ramble, Nature Notes p, p. 210 dated 1898
New Borings round London, Science Gossip n.s 5, 118 - 119 dated 1898
Norwood and Croydon Notes, Science Gossip n.s 5, p. 158 dated 1898
Some Founders of Geology Ibid 11-12 dated 1898
Beneath the Devil's Dyke Ibid 52-53 dated 1898
Brighton Cliff Formation Ibid p. 376 dated 1898
Fossil Resin in the Chalk Ibid n.s 6, p. 119, dated 1899
A History of Chalk, Ibid n.s. 6, 12 - 14, 41 - 43, 78 - 79, 115 - 117, 142 - 143, 198 - 199, 235, 306 - 307, 336 - 337, 368 dated 1899-1900
Preservation of Croham Hurst, Ibid n.s 5, 321-322, dated 1899
The Preservation of Croham Hurst, Ibid n.s 6, p. 31, dated 1899
The Surrey Bourne, Ibid n.s 6, p.318 - dated 1900
Coal Mines under Surrey, Surrey Magazine 2(7), 245-246, dated 1900
Gilbert White of Selbourne. Abstract of Reports and Annual Report, Brighton & hove Nat. Hist. and Philosoph. Soc., y.e June 13th 1900, 10 -12, dated 1900
Neolithic Hut-Circles near Hayes and Keston, Science Gossip n.s 7, p.157 - dated 1900
A Ramble over Oxted Downs, Surrey Magazine 2(4), 132 - 144 - dated 1900
Westow Hill Gravels, Science Gossip n.s 7, p. 124 dated 1900
The Protection and Preservation of Plants, South Eastern Naturalist for 1902, 36 - 40, dated 1902
Rubble Drift and Dry Chalk Valleys, Science Gossip n.s 8, 326 - 328 dated 1902
Croydon New and Old, Jointly with J.E Morris
Homeland Association Handbook 7 dated 1904
Sea Erosion and Coast Protection. S.E Naturalist for 1906, 35 - 49 dated 1906
How Long Ago in Geology. Geological Magazine, dec. 5,4 (518_, 349 - 351, dated 1907
Palaeozoic Rocks under South Eastern England, Kn. and Sci. News, August 1908 (Reprinted as a leaflet) 11 pp. dated 1908
Some Considerations concerning dew ponds, South Eastern England Naturalist for 1908 66 - 85 dated 1908
The Lives and Habits of the Hydra, the May-Fly. Proc. Holmesdale Natural History Club for 1906-09 page 9, dated 1910
Results of Dew Pond Investigation, South Eastern Naturalist for 1910,20-28 dated 1910
Some Amenities of Old South Norwood, Corporation of Croydon: Grange Wood Museum, dated 1912
Whitgift Hospital, Croydon. Selborne Magazine 24 ( 278), 23-24 dated 1913
Croydon's Commons and How they were disposed of, reprinted from Croydon Advertiser, 31 January 1914 by Jesse W Ward
Abstract of Lecture on Dew Ponds, Abstr. of Rep. & Ann. Rep. Brighton& Hove Natural History Society 1914
Token Money in Croydon. Trans. Corydon Natural History & Scientific Society 8(1), 1- 4 dated 1915
Skulls and Haws of Ancient Man and his implements. S.E Naturalist for1917,23-37 dated 1917
Anglo-Saxon Remains in and Around Croydon. Corporation of Croydon: Grange Wood Museum 16 pp. dated 1918
Kenley Command [Comment on its closure for use as an aerodrome and flying ground] S E Naturalist dated 1919 p. lxiii
Whitgift's Hospital, Croydon. S E Naturalist for 1923
Problems in Anthropology S E Naturalist for 1925
Coal and its story. What it is, Whence it comes and Whither it Goes,Hodder and Stoughton xii + 13 - 320 pp, dated 1926
Break-Names in Geological History, S.E Naturalist for 1926
The Makings of Pearls, Ibid for 1931 (36), 13 - 19 dated 1931
Outlines of Sussex Geology, and other Essays. London: Archer and Co 204. pp 1932
Obituary by A.S Woodward, Quarterly Journal of the Geological Societyof London 100, lxxiv dated 1944

Supplement:

A Bibliography of Gilbert White, the Natural Historian and Antiquarian of Selborne, Westminster: Roxborough Press xiv + 274 pp. dated 1896

The Story of the Fight for Croham Hurst, with a Brief Description of its Beauties. 23 pp illus. leaflet, reprinted from Croydon Advertiser of 9 March 1901 and the Surrey Magazine of April 1901.
Biographical Note. CPL Surrey Collection: Newscuttings, 2 pp., 1 port. ps70(92) - dated 1924
An Appreciation of E.A Martin's Resignation from the Libraries Committe 4pp, 1 port; bibliogr. CPL: S70(92) dated 1937