1999/5 pp5–6

Our grand old man of letters

Maurice Exwood was 90 years old in June, and this seems an opportune time to list some of his contributions to history, which include writing the following books and articles since retirement:

‘John Logie Baird, 50 years of television’, Institution of Radio and Electronic Engineers January 1976

‘The birth of television’, The Radio and Electronic Engineer December 1976

‘Mathematical tiles’, Vernacular Architecture 1981

‘Mathematical tiles: a Georgian masquerade’, Period Home April/May 1983

‘Visitors to Epsom Wells’, Epsom Medical Society 1984

‘Mathematical Tiles in Surrey’, Surrey History 2 (1984), with Ian West

Epsom Wells: A New History of Epsom Wells and Epsom Salts (Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, 1989; 2nd revised edition, 1999).

‘William Cotton and the Priory, Leatherhead’, Proc. of the Leatherhead & District Local History Soc. 1992

‘William Cotton and his family in Leatherhead’, Proc. of the Leatherhead & District Local History Soc. 1993

The Journal of William Schellinks: Travels in England 1661–1663 (Camden Soc. 5th ser 1, 1993), with Dr. H.L. Lehmann,

‘The equestrian statue of Charles II at Gautby’, Lincolnshire Past and Present 1996

Burials and Their Monuments in the Old Churchyard of Ewell in Surrey (Bourne Hall Museum, 1997)

The River Hogsmill (Nonsuch Antiquarian Society Occasional Paper 34, 1997)

‘From horsetram to Eurostar: public transport over 80 years’, Surrey Industrial History Group Newsletters 100 & 101 1997/1998

Burials of the Glyn Family in Ewell (Nonsuch Antiquarian Society Nonsuch Extra 3, 1998)

‘Remembering Hans Leo Lehmann and his family in Epsom’, Nonsuch Antiquarian Society Newsletter 1999/3 & 4.

In 1981 Maurice organised a one-day Symposium and Exhibition in Bourne Hall on ‘Mathematical Tiles’, which was chaired by the late Alec Clifton-Taylor, author and broadcaster on historic towns.

Maurice was largely responsible for organising the symposium that was held at Ewell in 1988 to mark the 450th anniversary of the building of Nonsuch Palace. It was chaired by Professor Martin Biddle, the archaeologist in charge of the excavations in 1959. The marking out of the Nonsuch Walk was an outcome of the symposium.

In 1994 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

The conservation of the old tower of St. Mary’s Church, Ewell, is another project in which Maurice has played and is still playing a leading part.

Maurice is still busy researching and writing local history and may justly be called ‘our grand old man of letters’.

Charles Abdy