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The photographs and papers relate to Ernest Rollason, and members of his wifes family, several of whom were teachers or head teachers in Croydon. Ernest Rollasons wife was Winifred Westlake Dowle (b1887), who had been a Pupil Teacher at St Andrews School, Croydon, and then a teacher at St Michaels School, Sydenham, before marrying and later returned to St Andrews as a supply teacher. Winifreds father, Edmund Dowle, was head of the Parish Church Boys School, Croydon, 1882-1894; and of the Senior Boys School, 1894-1895. Her mother, n233e Alice Todhunter (c1860-1898), was the sister of Emily J Todhunter (1869-1909), head of St Andrews Girls (Upper) School, 1884-1908, and of Isaac Todhunter, head of the Parish Church Junior Boys School, ?1894-1909. FA (or JA) Todhunter, head of St Marks Girls School, 1884-1886, was presumably another relation. Mary Large (c1856-1936), head of St Andrews Infants School 1884-1908, had close associations with the family: after the death of Alice Dowle in 1898, Miss Large brought up her two children (Winifred and a younger brother); and she later became godmother to Winifreds son, Geoffrey Rollason, and brought him up while his father, Ernest, was away in the army in World War I.

Ernest F Rollason (c1881-1957) was apprenticed as a pupil teacher at Holly Hall Schools, Dudley, 1895-1899; and then trained at Westminster Teacher Training College, 1899-1901. His first teaching post was as an Assistant at Oval Road School, Croydon, 1902-1903. He then taught at Beulah Road Boys School, Croydon, 1903-1915, before leaving to join the army. At the end of the War, he went to teach at Tavistock Grove Senior Mixed School, where he remained (despite several applications for headships) until his retirement in 1942.

The Rogers family originally came from Beckenham. Edward Rogers (1836-1924) set up business as a corn merchant in Thornton Heath in about 1880 (at 71 Thornton Heath; renumbered 280 London Road in 1889; and also known as the Unicorn Granaries). The business was taken over in about 1889 by two of his sons, Edward William Rogers (1864-1958) and S Rogers [Stephen or Sydney]: its name changed to EW S Rogers in about 1894, although in fact S Rogers retired from the partnership only a year or so later. In about 1895, the business opened a retail shop at 62 High Street, Croydon. The London Road premises were seriously damaged by fire in 1895, and again in 1902. In the twentieth century, the firm came to specialise in seeds and horticultural supplies. The High Street shop moved a few doors to 72 High Street in 1921; and the London Road premises (renumbered 516 in 1927) were given up in about 1931. The business closed in 1957. EW Rogers died a few months later, in April 1958.

Alice Maria Skinner (c1866-1908) was the daughter of James Arthur Skinner (1839-1907) - a builder, and Mayor of Eastbourne in the 1890s. She grew up in Eastbourne, and went to school in Tunbridge Wells, but regularly visited relations and friends in Croydon. She married Edward William Rogers (her cousin) in 1893, and lived in Croydon for the rest of her life. They had a daughter, Mildred Elizabeth Rogers ('Millie'), born in 1894. Alice died in April 1908. EW Rogers was subsequently married a second time, to Kate Beatrice [--] (c1885-1922).