Transcript

of

William Risdon Hall Jordan [Obituary]

Maxwell Adams (Ed.).

Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol.  44, (1912). pp. 38-39.

Prepared by Michael Steer

The obituary was presented at the Association’s July 1912 Exeter meeting. An interesting and informative website dealing primarily with the poet John Keats’ visit to Teignmouth provides some biographic information on Mr Jordan, as well as a picture of his rather dilapidated memorial in Teignmouth Old Cemetery. The obituary may be found in a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal that can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers

Mr. Jordan was born at Teignmouth, his family having settled there as far back as 1650. His grandfather, in the early part of the last century, founded, with the late Mr. Langmead, the South Devon Bank, which was subsequently merged into that of Messrs. Watts, Whidborne, and Co., and later in the Capital and Counties Banking Company. Mr. Jordan was educated at Dr. Edwards' School, at Teignmouth, and served his articles with his father. He was admitted a Solicitor in 1844, and for some years acted successively as managing clerk to Messrs. Paine and Hatherly, of London, and to Messrs. Tozer and Whidborne, of Teignmouth. In 1848 Mr. Jordan practised on his own account, and on the retirement of the late Mr. John Chapell Tozer from the clerkship to the Teignmouth Improvement Commissioners in 1852, he became Clerk to that body. Mr. Jordan subsequently held the appointment of Clerk to the Teignmouth Local Board, under the Local Government Act of 1856, and the Public Health Act of 1875, and was the first Clerk to the Teignmouth Urban District Council. This post he resigned in 1900, but he retained the position of Clerk to the Burial Board, which he had held since the inauguration of that body in 1853. Mr. Jordan also took a great interest in educational work, and acted as Clerk to the Teignmouth School Board from its inception in 1875. He in later years continued as correspondent to the school managers, from which post he retired in 1910, being succeeded by his son, Mr. W. F. C. Jordan. To the Bread and Coal Society and the Soup Kitchen in Teignmouth he acted as Hon. Secretary.
He became a member of the Association in 1871, serving on the Council for many years, and contributed the following papers to its Transactions: Notes on the Natural History of Teignmouth and its Vicinity (1874); Migration of Insects (1885); Teignmouth Gleanings (1904). Mr. Jordan was also a member of the Teign Naturalists' Field Club.
In his earlier days his recreations were shooting and rowing, and he had a great predilection for Natural History. He died at Teignmouth on 17 August, 1911, aged ninety years.