Robert Oliver Pattern (1871-1961)

Robert Oliver Pattern was born in 1871 in Terrington St John, Norfolk, the son of Michael Pattern and Rosanna (née Delahoy). He married Alice Harriet Taylor and there are four known children. He died in 1961 in Purbrook Nursing Home, 31 Heene Way, Worthing, Sussex.

born:

  • 17 October 1871 — Terrington St John, Norfolk
    Birth registered as Robert Pattern Q4 1871 Wisbech.

baptism:

  • 12 November 1871 — Norfolk

parents:

siblings:

marriages:

children:

locations:

  • 1881 — Fleet, Lincolnshire
    1881 England Census
  • 1901 — 50 North Street, Worthing, Sussex
    1901 England Census
    Occupation: Hair Dresser.
  • 1911 — 50 North Street, Worthing, Sussex
    1911 England Census
    Occupation: Barber.
  • 1918 — 50 North Street, Worthing, Sussex
    West Sussex, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1963
  • 1920 — 2 Haywards Heath Road, Balcombe, Sussex
    East Sussex, England, Electoral Registers, 1705-1963
  • 1939 — Salvington Gardens, Worthing, Sussex
    1939 England and Wales Register
    Occupation: Hairdresser (retired).

died:

  • 15 November 1961 — Purbrook Nursing Home, 31 Heene Way, Worthing, Sussex
    Residence: 41 Arundel Road, Worthing.

more:

Research Notes

In 1937, he pleaded guilty to allowing “certain rooms” in his shop at 50 North Street to be used “for the purpose of betting”. In court, he stated: “This is just a side line I have adopted just recently. I can see that I did not carry it out quite properly. I’m sorry and I’ll see that it does not happen again.”

Articles

The oldest

An older barber has been found – older, that is, than the man about whom the Herald published a story three weeks ago, when he retired and, at 79, claimed to be Worthing’s oldest barber The new claimant. Mr Robert Pattern, who lives at Cotswold, 41 Arundel Road, is 84, and has been a barber in Worthing since 1892. When 21 he started work at a shop in Chapel Road; and until an accident on Saturday outside his home, he travelled a round, visiting nursing homes and any other people who invited him, cutting hair.

After five months in Chapel Road, where his ambition had no scope, he opened his own shop in North Street, and the shop is still in the family, being run by his son, Mr R. O. Pattern, who trained there and took it over in 1920.

When I called to see him this week, Mr Pattern had a bruised shoulder in plaster and was troubled by a thumb which was dislocated on Saturday. He was returning from watching Worthing’s football match, and was knocked down in a collision with a car.

Worthing Herald (21 October 1955)

Former Worthing hairdresser dies, aged 90

Mr. Robert Oliver Pattern, one of the oldest gentlemen’s hairdressers in Worthing, died at Purbrook Nursing Home on Thursday. He was 90.

Mr. Pattern started his hairdressing business at 50 North Street, Worthing, in 1892, when he was 21 years of age. In those days the price of a haircut was 3d. and the price of a shave was 11d.

Mr. Pattern decorated the ceiling of his saloon with designs in postage stamps and used about 25,000 stamps in the process. A Gazette photographer took a photograph of the stamp-covered ceiling just after it had been completed in 1903.

Forty years ago the business was taken over by Mr. Pattern’s eldest son and Mr. Pattern senior started another business at Balcombe. On his retirement he returned to live in Worthing residing at Salvington Gardens.

The interment took place at Durrington on Monday.

Worthing Gazette (22 November 1961)

Leave a comment