Canon John Latham

(1801-1879)

Canon John Latham was a remarkable man. As Vicar of St. Paul’s in Little Eaton for 30 years from 1848, he had a major influence on the village.

His name is included on the obelisk in St Peter's Park, donated by Little Eaton’s generous benefactor, Thomas Bates, commemorating Canon Latham’s all-important influence on the early life of Thomas and his contemporaries.

Before his arrival in Little Eaton, John married Louisa Holland in 1827 in Barton-under Needwood. They then went to Calcutta where he started his missionary work at the age of 26. He became a  Church missionary in Bengal, in India where their daughter Louisa Holland Latham was born in 1829, though she was baptised in Barton- Under- Needwood in 1830 when they returned to England. Another daughter, Alison was born in Barton -under- Needwood, Staffordshire in 1836,  but she died aged 10 months in 1837.

Rev John Latham became Stipendiary Curate of St Werburg’s, Derby in December 1830. Rev Latham took up the post of Vicar of St Paul’s in Little Eaton in 1848. He was already a Canon Residentiary of Lichfield Cathedral. 

The Latham family, with their five living children arrived in Little Eaton in 1948 when John Latham became Vicar of St Paul’s.

In June 1848  a notice appeared in The Derby Advertiser:    “To Builders:  Tenders invited for new Parsonage House in Little Eaton”. 

The Latham family moved into this new house in about 1850.

Rev. Latham's energy and enthusiasm were much appreciated.  He worked tirelessly for his parishioners.  By 1851, £862 was raised and a new north aisle and a tower and chancel  were added to the church.  The height of the nave was raised and the whole church was re-roofed and new pews installed. 

He also set up The Derby College for  the training of schoolmistresses.  Several of Little Eaton’s first school teachers benefitted from this training. The College provided a residential course for about 50 students who had to apply to Rev. Latham for a place.  He often visited the schools in the present Parish Rooms building and the Boys’ School on Barley Close. He did not see the opening of the Alfreton Road school in 1884, though he was instrumental in setting it up.

When the Lathams arrived in Little Eaton, the Rev John Carr and his family were living at The Outwoods. Rev. J.E. Carr was the Perpetual Curate of Darley Abbey.  The Rev. Carr and Canon Latham worked well together, at one stage spending many months “removing  all priestly decoration” from Lichfield Cathedral.  There was a lot of anti-Catholic prejudice at this time. Rev Carr attended St Paul’s under Canon Latham’s ministry for many years.  But, in 1865, the Rev Carr objected to a stained glass window in St Paul's as “provocative idolatry” and  requested that Rev. Latham remove it.  John Latham’s reply was that he had no authority and no wish to remove the window which had been installed in memory of John Tempest and his wife.  Rev Carr continued to object strongly and withheld £50 which he had intended to give to Canon Latham’s Church restoration fund and he left the Church.  

 Family Life

The Lathams had five surviving children. Three of their sons became clergymen like their father and two, also like their father, went to India.

Louisa, born in India in 1829 but baptised in Barton-Under-Needwood In 1830. By 1856  Louisa had married Trevor Lorence Garland  (b. 1820) in Duffield ( probably at St. Alkmund’s).  Trevor Garland  became his father-in-law’s curate at St Paul’s. He and his wife and family continued to live in Little Eaton. To begin with they lived at the Parsonage with  Rev.John and Louisa Latham, later, by 1861 at Tanyard. They had 8 children between 1857 and 1872, all born in Little Eaton. Their second son, tragically died in 1877, aged 18, drowned in the river Derwent at Darley Abbey.

John Herbert, born 1831, attended Repton school and Cambridge University. He became a civil engineer/Chief engineer and later practised in India, for the Madras Irrigation and Canal Co. He married Rosina Young in Madras in India in 1865 . John and Rosina had 4 children in Kurnool in India in 1866, 1868, 1869 and 1878. Two other children were born in England: a daughter Violet in 1870 in Bath, Somerset, and a son Charles Herbert who was born in Repton in 1873 but died aged 13 months. He is buried in St Paul’s, Little Eaton with his grandfather Canon Latham.

Edward, born 1834 attended Repton and Cambridge. He  graduated in Divinity and became a clergyman. He preached at St Paul’s in 1874.  He became a master at his old school from 1856-1873, then became Vicar at Matlock Bath. He married Jane  Leeke (b1836) in 1863.  Jane was the 4th daughter of the Vicar of Holbrook .

(It is interesting to note that Rev. Edmund Carr, son of the Rev. Carr, above, married Jane’s elder sister Mary in 1881, as his third wife). Jane and Edward  had 10 children, the first four born in Holbrook, next four in Repton and the youngest two in Matlock Bath.  He died in 1887

Samuel, born 1835 went to Derby School from 1846-1848.  He went to Cambridge and received his M.A in 1857.  He became assistant  Master at Brighton College from 1857-1861. In 1861 he visited his parents at The Parsonage in Little Eaton, by which time he was also Rev. Latham, of the Parish Church in Brighton. It was probably during this visit that he preached at St. Paul’s in Little Eaton.  By 1866 he was Vice Principal of Lichfield Theologian College. He married Emily Frances Parkes in 1867 at St James’ Paddington.  Canon Latham, his father, conducted the service.  By 1871 they were living at The Close, Lichfield, with 2 sons, Ernest (2) and Henry(0). Later they lived in Great Malvern and in Llandudno Wales where they had two more children, Percy Holland (born 1873) and Mabel, (born 1878).

Hugh  was  born 1840. He also went to Repton School. By the age of 17 he was a cadet with the British India Office in India. By 1858 he had received the Indian Mutiny Medal.  He became a Lieut. Col. with the Bengal Artillery. In 1869 he married Emily Dalls Baker in St Alban’s Hertfordshire. They had 7 children though 2 died in infancy.  Hugh died in 1896. His wife Emily died in 1915.

Canon Latham and his wife Louisa continued to live at Parsonage House after their children had all left home. Louisa died in 1874.

Rev John Latham left St Paul’s Church in 1878 and died the next year in Matlock Bath.  He is buried in St Paul's Churchyard along with his wife and other members of his family. These were:

Their son-in -law Rev Trevor Garland and three of his sons Trevor Hugh 1859-1877 who drowned at Darley Bridge aged 18; Edgar Cope Garland (1857-1926); and James Lorraine Garland (1872-1932). James died in Isfahan in Iran.

Charles Herbert, their grandson (son of their son John Herbert and his wife Rosina), who died aged 13 months in 1874.  

With thanks to Ruth and Philip Hunter for the research and to John Latham’s family for additional information.

If there are errors in this article, please contact info@lelhs.org.uk