Henry Attwell
| Henry Attwell | |
|---|---|
_portrait.png) Atwell_1.png Henry Attwell (1834–1901) | |
| Born | 1834 Romford, Essex, England |
| 19011901 | |
| 💼 Occupation | Educator, translator, school founder, moralist |
| Known for | Tutor to Prince Willem of Orange, founder of Nassau House School, early introducer of football to the Netherlands |
| Honors | Chevalier of the Order of the Oak Crown (1858) |
Henry Attwell (1834–1901) was a British educator, translator, school founder, and moralist. He is known for serving as English tutor to Prince Willem of Orange (1840–1879), for founding the Nassau House School in Barnes, Surrey, and for introducing football to the Netherlands during his educational work in the 1850s. In 1858, he was awarded the *Chevalier of the Order of the Oak Crown* by the Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
Early Life and Family
Henry Attwell was born in Romford, Essex, in 1834. He married Sarah Nicoll (b. c.1833, Barnet, Hertfordshire), and together they raised four daughters at Nassau House, which served both as the family residence and the location of the school Attwell operated in Barnes.
Their daughters were:
- Mary Eliza Attwell (b. ~1859) – lived with the family into adulthood.
- Emily Attwell (b. ~1861) – listed in the 1881 census.
- Nellie Attwell (b. ~1863) – also resided at Nassau House through 1901.
- Gertrude Louisa Attwell (b. 1865) – married Peyton Todd Bowman Beale in 1892, connecting the Attwell family to the prominent Beale scientific lineage.
Royal Tutorship and Literary Work
From 1854 to 1858, Attwell served as English tutor to Prince Willem of Orange during the prince's educational period in Leiden. He compiled a handwritten manuscript titled *Notes on English Literature* during this time. The manuscript survives and is part of a family archive.
He was also a translator and author, known for:
- A Book of Golden Thoughts (1870) – signed and gifted to his daughter.
- (tr.) Journey Round My Room by Xavier de Maistre (c. 1871) (scan)
- The Italian Masters – annotated by Attwell for educational use.
Attwell was knighted in 1858 as a *Chevalier of the Order of the Oak Crown*, a Luxembourgian honor awarded for service to education.
Nassau House School
Attwell founded the Nassau House School in Barnes, Surrey, where he taught, languages, and moral literature. He also published school journals and textbooks, including rare bilingual editions such as Jack and the Beanstalk (1880), used for French instruction. [1]
Role in Football History
Henry Attwell is credited with the early introduction of football to the Netherlands, likely during his work at the Noorthey Institute, an elite boarding school near Leiden. His influence predated the formation of Dutch football clubs and is noted in early accounts of the sport's history in the country. Credit: Dutch Sport Historicist Jan Luitzen
Works
- (tr.) Journey Round My Room by Xavier de Maistre (c. 1871) (scan)
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Metadata
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References
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