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John Rankin B.A. |
For those who attended Bridgend County School, Heol Gam or Brynteg Comprehensive School, John Rankin B.A. will be a familiar name.
The first headmaster of Bridgend Intermediate School (later Brynteg) John served the community of Glamorgan as a teacher and educator for 43 years. But, who was John Rankin B.A? In this blogpost, I take a look at the life of an Irish man who became a key figure in many children's lives.
Unfortunately, not much is known about the early life of John. What little we know has been drawn from census records, certificates and newspaper articles.
John Rankin was born on the 21st of August, 1863. He was the eldest of nine children born to James and Elizabeth Rankin of Castleblaney, Co Monaghan in Northern Ireland.
John came from a deeply religious family. He was a great-grandson of Rev James Rankin, the Minister of the Presbyterian Congregation in Monaghan. It was through the Presbyterian Church that the Rankin children were able to read and write.