T is for Temple Patterson, one of Southampton’s foremost historians

And so we move to T. For this week’s instalment in our Special Collections A-Z we had the reins over to Roger Ottewill.

A Northumbrian by birth, Temple Patterson was described in a newspaper report covering the publication of one of his major works on the history of Southampton as ‘a Hampshireman by adoption’ (Southern Evening Echo, 2 July 1970). In the years following the Second World War and until his death in 1983, Patterson or ‘Pat’, as he was affectionately known, was one of Southampton’s foremost historians (see obituary contributed by Edwin Course in Hampshire Field Club Newsletter, Vol 1, 1984, p.18). Indeed his reputation was such that when he died in 1983 he was honoured with an obituary in The Times (27 October 1983).

Temple Patterson’s obituary from The Times

In this blog it is intended to provide a brief overview of his life and works; to review his approach to researching and writing history; and to assess his contribution to the study of local history, in general, and that of the history of Southampton and, to a lesser extent, Portsmouth, in particular.

Life and Works

Arthur Temple Patterson, to give him his full name, was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 27th November 1902. His higher education was undertaken at Armstrong College, from where he graduated in 1924 with a University of Durham first class degree in history. Armstrong College had been founded jointly by the University of Durham and the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineering in 1871.

Initially a schoolmaster, his first higher education appointment was in pre-Second World War Hampshire ‘at Portsmouth Municipal College, where he directed a small honours school of London external degree students’ (The Times, 27 October 1983). From Portsmouth he moved to University College, Leicester, where he was Head of History during the Second World War and immediate post-war years. It was here that his love of local history took root and he undertook research on a variety of topics, including electoral corruption in Leicester in the years following the 1832 Reform Act (History, Sept 1946, XXXI, pp.113-121); Luddism, Hampden Clubs and trade unions in Leicester 1816-17 (English Historical Review, April 1948, pp.170-188); and canals (‘The Making of the Leicestershire Canals 1766-1814’, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological Society, 1951 XXVII, pp.1-35).

Map IV from The Making of the Leicestershire canals 1766-1814 [HE436.L4 PAT]

All of these publications were early examples of Patterson using the experience of what was happening at local level to amplify national developments. Off-prints are held in Special Collections (ref MS111 A691/1). In addition, they underpinned, to some extent, his first major publication, Radical Leicester: A History of Leicester 1780-1850. Although this was not published until 1954, a few years after he had returned to Hampshire, it ‘was a seminal work which helped to lay the foundations of the University of Leicester’s pre-eminence in urban history.’ (The Times, 27 October 1983).

In 1949 he had joined the History Department of University College, Southampton (University of Southampton from 1952), where he remained until his retirement in 1968. Initially listed in the University Yearbook as a Lecturer, from 1951/52 to 1956/57 his title was that of ‘Lecturer in Economic History’. Although it is not known for certain, it is probable that he was instrumental in preparing the syllabus for, and teaching, a special subject: ‘The town and port of Southampton in the sixteenth Century’, which was listed in the University Yearbooks from 1954/55 to 1956/57 inclusive . This combined his two main lines of research – ‘regional studies and naval history’. He was appointed ‘Reader in Regional History’ in 1960 and ‘Professor of Regional History’ in 1968. For most of the time that he was on the staff of the University, he and his wife lived in Brockenhurst, moving to Chichester shortly before his retirement.

Temple Patterson with a group of History students; he is seated in the front row, fourth from the left [MS310/23 A1048/8]

With respect to Patterson’s publications in the sphere of regional history, arguably his magnum opus was his three volume history of Southampton covering the years from 1700 to 1914. Volume I subtitled “An oligarchy in decline” focussed on the period 1700 to 1835 and was published in 1966; volume II, “The beginnings of modern Southampton”, 1836 to 1867, in 1971; and volume III, “Setbacks and recoveries”, 1868 to 1914, in 1975. All appeared in the Southampton Records Series.

Cover of part 1 of Patterson’s History of Southampton [Cope SOU 06]

Another publication of particular significance was The University of Southampton: a centenary history of the evolution and development of the University of Southampton 1862-1962, which was published in 1962 (ref 378.42276). This is an extremely detailed and meticulously researched account with Patterson drawing upon a wide variety of primary sources, including minute books, annual reports, local newspapers and personal testimony. With respect to the latter, he acknowledged his indebtedness ‘for recollections, comments, criticism and general guidance to a large number of former and present members of the academic and administrative staff, former students and public figures in the town and neighbourhood of Southampton.’

Patterson’s The University of Southampton [LF 780 Univ Coll]

Throughout, an underlying theme is that of the financial challenges the University to be faced. As Patterson puts it in relation to the period just after the First World War:

… [when] it was still confronted with its perennial problem of finance – the all-too-familiar need of raising more money in order to expand its premises, staff and equipment.

The University of Southampton: a centenary history of the evolution and development of the University of Southampton 1862-1962, p. 144

In some ways, it was a ‘victim of its own success’ as increasing numbers of students led to growing pressure on existing facilities.

The publication is well illustrated with photographs of leading figures, such as Sir Richard Wood, the Principal from 1946 to 1952 and first Vice-Chancellor. In addition, there is a sketch by the architect Sir Basil Spence of his projected design for the University campus in 1980. Patterson concludes, by looking backwards and outwards:

The University owes its existence to Henry Robinson Hartley. The benefaction he made to the citizens of Southampton has made possible the development in the town, and in the region which was once the core of the ancient Kingdom of Wessex of an institution, which must surely play a notable part in the great educational advance of the nation in the twentieth century.

The University of Southampton: a centenary history of the evolution and development of the University of Southampton 1862-1962, p. 225

Intriguingly, some of the content of the first edition of the history caused offence, perhaps because Patterson highlighted shortcomings and personal disputes as well as positive aspects of the institution’s history. Consequently, in the 1970s with assistance from the then Librarian, B.N. Bland, he produced what he described as a ‘de-bowdlerised version’ (see MS111 LF780UNI/8/520). Sadly, nobody has been willing or able to build on Patterson’s foundations and take his narrative forward.

Following his retirement, in 1970 Macmillan published Southampton: a biography while in 1976 two further works of local history, Portsmouth: A History and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, were published by Moonraker Press and Batsford respectively.

It is also worthy of note that Patterson played a leading role in establishing the Portsmouth Papers series, serving as General Editor for a number of years. He also researched and wrote four papers in the series namely:

• no.3  “Palmerston’s folly” the Portsdown and Spithead Forts, published in 1967;
• no.5   The Naval Mutiny at Spithead 1796, in 1968;
• no.10 Portsmouth: a French Gibralter?,in 1970; and
• no.14 Portsmouth’s nineteenth-century literary figures, in 1972.

Cover of Portsmouth Papers no. 3 [Cope 45]

In addition, he co-authored two further papers:

• no. 19 with Margaret Hoad, Portsmouth and the Crimean War published in 1973; and
• no 21 with Jean Stanford, The condition of the children of the poor in mid-Victorian Portsmouth, in 1974.

The series covers a wealth of subjects from churches to theatres and from law and order to transport. As Editor it is probable that he encouraged, and probably mentored, a number of aspiring local historians. It is a great pity that he did not pursue a similar initiative for Southampton.

The Practice of History

As a historian, Patterson was a dedicated interrogator of primary source material. This required, in pre-internet and often pre-microfilm days, visits to archives and newspaper offices. Indeed, as recorded in a newspaper report from 1963, ‘Mr Temple Patterson is a familiar figure in this office, where he does research on the files of the “Hampshire Advertiser” and the “Hampshire Independent” ’ (27 November 1963). Today, he would undoubtedly be an avid user of the British Newspaper Archive. He was also fulsome in his praise of archivists. He regarded them as far more than ‘mere keepers of records’ (Patterson, Local History and Southampton, University of Southampton 1968, p.6). In his view, they made an invaluable contribution through their facilitation of historical research.

In presenting the results of his research Patterson sought to allow the narrative to emerge ‘naturally’. As it was put in his obituary: ‘he wrote with discipline and restraint, seeking to enable the facts to tell their own story, without the imposition of an extraneous interpretation upon them’(The Times, 27 October 1983). Moreover, he sought to combine accessibility with academic rigour, thereby enabling the Southern Evening Echo to exclaim in 1970: ‘At last a popularly written, yet scholarly history of Southampton’ (2 July 1970). While such attributes are commendable qualities for historians in general they have a particular resonance for local historians. Thus, unsurprisingly, it is in this field of endeavour that Patterson made his principal contribution.

A Local Historian par excellence

Temple Patterson’s commitment to local history was reflected in the title of his inaugural professorial lecture, “Local History and Southampton”, which was delivered on 23 January 1968. He began by outlining what might be described as the ‘historiography of local history’, with pride of place inevitably being given to the developments at Leicester University, to which he had contributed, and the work of W.G. Hoskins and G. Finberg in particular. Quoting Finberg, who had described ‘local history’ fifteen years earlier as ‘the Cinderella among historical studies’, Patterson went on to suggest that although progress had been made, it still awaited ‘an academic Prince Charming’ to raise it to ‘the rank and status of a princess among disciplines’ (Patterson, Local History, p.3). Arguably this is still the case.

Temple Patterson’s inaugural lecture, 1968 [Univ Coll LF788.2]

In charting the development of local history, Patterson made reference inter alia to the contribution of antiquarians. That said, he went on to draw a distinction between antiquarians who it had ‘been said collect facts [and] historians [who] discuss problems’ (Patterson, Local History, p.5).

Another issue Patterson addressed was the vexed relationship between local and national history. In his view, local history did ‘not merely illustrate national history but … [was] the stuff of much of it’ (Patterson, Local History, p.5). However, ‘It … [was] when, and only when, the historian … [was] thoroughly grounded in the history of his country that he … [could] write the history of his town or parish as it should be written.’ (Patterson, Local History, p.5).

By the late 1960s, local historians had considerable resources at their disposal. They could take advantage of the development of county archives and a burgeoning literature, which included bibliographic aids. Indeed, Patterson himself had produced for the Southampton Historical Association: “A Handlist of Materials Available Locally for the Study and Teaching of Local History” (Cope 01). This included material in the Southampton City Reference Library; Civic Record Office; University Library; and University Geography Department.

Having set the scene with his ‘general’ observations concerning ‘local history, Patterson turned his attention to the ‘particular’, Southampton. In so doing he applied his maxim that “History is about People” and selected a variety of individuals upon whom ‘the light had fallen’. This was a reference to a phrase of Lord Vansittart who had referred to:‘ “All sorts and conditions of men and women”, emerging from one obscurity and passing into another … but catching the light for a little in this ancient town of Southampton’ (Patterson, Local History, p.7). Those who emerged were known as “the Mist Procession”. For Southampton, Patterson’s procession began with Christopher Ambrose, born Christoforo Ambruogi, a Florentine incomer arriving in 1462 and subsequently developing extensive commercial interests and, following naturalisation, twice being elected mayor. He was followed by Henry Huttoft, a prosperous local merchant; Robert Reneger, another merchant and seaman; Sir James Lancaster, a notable Tudor seafarer; Richard Taunton, who took issue with the offspring of Huguenot refugees associated with the French churches in the town; John Speed, the cartographer; Elizabeth and Jane Purbeck, together with Alicia Mant, all of whom were novelists; Thomas Baker, ‘bookseller, coach-proprietor, merchant and leader of the town’s opposition’(Patterson, Local History, p.12); Stephen Collins, the manager of Southampton’s first theatre, who died in 1828; Nathaniel Ogle, ‘one of the less successful pioneers of steam locomotion’ (Patterson, Local History, p.13); Captain Edward Stephens, the designer of the Royal Victoria Pier, which was opened in 1833; and last but by no means least in Patterson’s procession, Richard Andrews, coach builder par excellence and leader of the Liberal Party in the town during the mid-nineteenth century.

How his lecture was received does not appear to have been recorded. Moreover, charting Patterson’s legacy, with respect to the practice of local and regional history within the University, would be worthy of a future blog.

Conclusion

At a civic event held in 1970 to launch his biography of Southampton and attended by the mayor, council members and officers, plus representatives of the publishers and of the University, Patterson is quoted as saying:

“Southampton is a remarkable city with a remarkable history of which the whole country ought to be proud … Again and again Southampton has successfully surmounted danger and difficulty, decline even partial destruction, and emerged again and again, to rise greater than before – though usually in some new form” (Southern Evening Echo, 17 July 1970).

Clearly his study of the history of the town had made a deep impression on him and enabled him to engage fully with the source material. His academic works serve as a testament to his rigour as a local historian. As Edwin Course wrote in his obituary of Patterson, Hampshire had lost ‘one of its most distinguished local historians’(HFC Newsletter, Vol 1, 1984). Patterson appears to have been a delightful colleague and companion, with ‘colourful’ and ‘warm hearted’ being words used to describe his personality(The Times, 27 October 1983). Moreover he enjoyed a relatively long and active retirement, enabling him to continue to pursue his love of history, through membership of such organisations as the Hampshire Field Club & Archaeological Society.

Temple Patterson [MS310/23 A1048/8]

Roger Ottewill

August 2022