The Sprent’s family tree. Anne Stockill is the grand-daughter of William Sprent (b.1869) and Elizebeth Crimble. Three of the William Sprents (born 1764, 1791 and 1826) were schoolmasters of the Sprent’s Academy at the family home in Winchester Street. An advert of 1795 described it as “a boarding school for young gentlemen”. Local anecdotal history suggests that the great WG Grace, as a child, was a pupil for some time, although there may be no truth in this.
From Anne Stockill