Edward William Beard was born in Painswick in 1853. He was the 6th child of Giles Beard, and Eliza Catherine Gore, a plumber's daughter from Cheltenham. He was known as William.
William attended Painswick National School and became a pupil teacher there. He subsequently took teaching posts at Chertsey and Thorpe in Surrey in 1874 and 1878.
Around this time, William rather strangely adopted his mother's maiden name (Gore) as a second christian name.
In 1880, he became headmaster of the village school at Long Compton, in Warwickshire.
In 1882, William married Sarah Deborah Heywood who was Assistant Mistress at the National School at Wickwar, near Chipping Sodbury. The wedding was at Weston Super Mare.
Children Elsie, Oscar, Lillian, Austin and Raymond were born between 1883 and 1894.
Shortly after the birth of a 6th child, Clement Edward, in 1895, Mrs Beard died. The child also passed away a month later.
A new sewing mistress, Miss Caroline Mary Copeland joined the school in Long Compton, having moved from Berkshire. She was (aged 33) to become the second Mrs William Beard, the marriage taking place in Southwark, London, in 1896.
More children… Percival Gore, Wilfred, Mina, Cecil and Kathleen were born between 1896 and 1908.
William Beard made quite an impression at Long Compton, if judged by
the description of his activities provided by the Rev Edward Rainsberry
in his book on the history of Long Compton entitled "Through the Lych Gate".
He describes William as 'pale, lively and academic' and says that the departure
of the Beard family was 'a severe loss to the whole village, especially
its children.
He retired in 1909 and the family moved to South Littleton in Worcestershire.
William Gore Beard died in 1934 at his house "Trefusis", and was buried at South Littleton church. He was 80 years old.