MS 391 Papers of Lazarus Sheridan

Lazarus Sheridan

Lazarus Sheridan or Lazarus Shrensky (1916-2011) was a teacher and writer. Born in Bethnal Green, London, he attended Jews Free School, leaving at the age of 14 to work first as a diamond mounter and then a salesman. Sheridan served in the army, 1940-2, before being discharged from the service and employed as a civil servant in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. He trained as a teacher at Wandsworth College, 1946-7, and immediately gained employment as an assistant teacher. He taught at a number of schools around London. His final post, which he held from 1971, was a headmaster of The Gateway Primary School in Westminster. Sheridan retired from teaching in 1981.

Sheridan was a founder member of the London Schools’ Drama Association and was, in 1952, elected to the Royal Society of Literature. He published King Sol, his book about the East End of London, in 1939, as well as a number of other autobiographical works. He was also the author of A young person’s guide to Westminster (1979).

Sheridan died in 2011. He had been married to his wife, Joan, since 1945, and they had three children.

About the collection

The archive contains a small quantity of personal material, including papers relating to Sheridan’s wartime service and his education and career, 1939-81; a notebook containing a personal diary of teaching events, 1947-8; correspondence, 1936-49, with Samuel Rich, who taught at Jews’ Free School until 1938; and papers relating to an event marking the history of Jews’ Free School, 2003.

The bulk of the collection relates to publications by Sheridan, c.1936-2005: autobiographical works The building, Twelve a penny and ‘As Rachel says: “he always falls on his feet!”’; King Sol; “Please sir, I can’t read!”; Aldgate & roundabout; A holiday abroad and other stories; and The tale of love. There also are copies of school or youth publications, such as copies of the Elliottonian, the magazine of the Elliott’s Boys’ School, 1949-51, and of The Stepnian, 1917; and articles by or about Sheridan and education, 1971-98.

Date range:

c.1936-2005 

Former references:

A4183

Size:

5 boxes