Samuel Fiddian M.A. (1842 – 5 January 1904) was a schoolteacher, remembered as the first principal of

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. He then founded a

Grammar School A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

Creswick, Victoria Creswick is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia, 18 kilometres north of Ballarat and 122 kilometres northwest of Melbourne, in the Shire of Hepburn. It is 430 metres above sea level. At the 2016 census, Creswick had a populatio ...

, of which he was principal and proprietor from 1872 to 1903.

History

Fiddian was born in

Castle Donington Castle Donington is a market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England, on the edge of the National Forest and close to East Midlands Airport. History The name 'Donington' means 'farm/settlement connected with Dunna'. Another suggest ...

, a son of English Wesleyan Methodist Rev. Samuel Fiddian (1804–1880) and his wife Grace Burall Fiddian née Paull (1811–1879) and was educated at Woodhouse Grove, the school for sons of the Methodist clergy at

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

. He spent 1859–1862 in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, where he taught at

Horton College thumbnail, 1937 sketch of the school Horton College was a 19th-century independent Wesleyan methodist boys' boarding school, at Mona Vale near , Tasmania, Australia. Founded by Captain Samuel Horton in 1855, the College closed in 1894; and duri ...

, before acquiring his MA at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, where he was wrangler of St. John's College. He was for a short time mathematics master at

Wesley College, Sheffield Wesley College, a school to educate the sons of the laity, opened in 1838 in new buildings designed by William Flockton on Glossop Road, Sheffield, England. It was founded by Rev. Samuel Dousland Waddy (1804–1876) to "supply a generally sup ...

, then was brought out to South Australia in 1869 to take up an appointment as foundation headmaster of

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend ...

, which then operated from a schoolroom behind the Pirie Street Methodist Church, the

Kent Town Kent Town is an inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters. History Kent Town was named for Dr. Benjamin Archer Kent (1808 – 25 November 1864), a medical practitioner of Walsall, Staf ...

campus not yet ready for occupation. He arrived in Melbourne aboard ''Essex'' early in January 1869. The ''Aldinga'', taking Fiddian to Adelaide, had not yet arrived when classes started but he was able to take up his duties shortly after he landed. While in Adelaide he was appointed to the board of governors of the

South Australian Institute The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research l ...

. He resigned in December 1870 and left Adelaide early in January 1871. For a year he taught mathematics at

Geelong College , motto_translation = Thus one goes to the stars , established = , type = Independent, co-educational, day and boarding, Christian school , denomination = in association with the Uniting ...

before founding Creswick Grammar School, of which he was proprietor and headmaster from 1872 to 1903. He may have been assisted by his sister Mary Paull Fiddian (1836–1908).

Recognition

His service to the community is recognised by an obelisk in Cambridge Street, Creswick, Victoria. Fiddian Range in the Northern Territory may have been named for him.

Family

Samuel Fiddian married (Charlotte) Sophia Robin (1846–18 August 1924), eldest daughter of

James Robin James Robin (pronounced ROE-bin) (14 November 1817 – 23 July 1894) was a prominent businessman in the early days of colonial South Australia. Several of his descendants were significant, in the Methodist Church and other fields. Also worthy of m ...

on 9 January 1872. They lived in

. Their children included: *Rev. James Rowland Fiddian (13 July 1873 – 20 February 1943) MSc was minister of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church,

Unley, South Australia Unley is an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, within the City of Unley. The suburb is the home of the Sturt Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Unley neighbours Adelaide Park Lands, Fullarto ...

1909–1917 before returning to Victoria, and was Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria from 1938 to 1940. *Samuel Fiddian, jr. (c. 1877 – 13 September 1934), married his cousin, Margaret N. Robin, eldest daughter of Henry Nicholas Robin, on 21 March 1906. He was a teacher in Geelong, became part-owner of James Robin & Co. in 1909 *William de Jersey Fiddian (1878–1964) with the Bank of New South Wales at Sydney *Charlotte Marguerite 'Rita' Fiddian (1885–1896) drowned with her cousin Maurice Robin at

Ocean Grove, Victoria Ocean Grove is a seaside town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Bellarine Peninsula. At the 2016 census, Ocean Grove had a population of 14,165. History In 1869, American Methodists established a permanent religious camp community on the ...

on 28 December 1896. Samuel Fiddian died in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England, as he was about to return to Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiddian, Samuel 1812 births 1904 deaths Australian headmasters People from Castle Donington People educated at Woodhouse Grove School