Herbert was born on the 30th October 1891 in Burnley, the only child of John Robert and Margaret Duerden (nee Stansfield). His first job was at Hargherclough Mill, Burnley. We don't have an address for where he was living at this time, but it would have been close by. There is still some very grim housing around the mill. Herbert started working in the mill at age 11 (1902). (See Photo Album for places.)

We've got a postcard of a walking tour he made in the English Lake District with a friend from July 8th to 15th 1911. This is what he did:

Herbert was determined to better himself and get out of the mills. He went to evening classes at Burnley Technical School, which opened in 1909. He wasn't encouraged to study by his parents, not even being allowed a light in his room. He had to sneak a candle in at night.

Some time prior to 1916, Herbert went for a walk on Pendle Hill. In the evening, he came off the hill into the village of Barley, where there was a dance. The village hall is tucked away behind the houses, close to a little stream, and looked in a fairly dilapidated state when we visited in February 2000. Here he met his future wife, Olive Holt, from Barrowford.

In 1976 I went away on a geography field trip. Herbert Duerden (my Grandpa) sent me this letter, about various field trips he had done, in May 1976:

"My word, they seemed to make you work hard at Nettlecombe Court. Hope you enjoyed it all and extracted much profit and pleasure from your labours. Reminds me of my student days when at Royal College of Science. With our Botany Professors and Lecturers a visit to Snowdonia to study the Local Flora. With headquarters at Gorphysfa Hotel at head of Llanberis Pass at highest point 1169 feet. Very cold and windy it was although at Whitsun time. Days on the mountains. Evenings after dinner studying our collections of the local plants.

Other courses of this type, three successive Easters centred at Keswick studying plant life, rocks and minerals in the lovely hills, mountains and valleys of Northern Lakeland, but all this was before World War I. With parties from Natural Science Department at Burnley Technical School. What memories! Wonderful days on the mountains. Evenings, after dinner, studying our collections of specimens from the days activities.

The Wales trip was of course after World War I. Anyway I hope you derived as much pleasure and profit from your field studies in Geography as I did from my field studies in Natural Sciences so many years ago resulting in stored-up memories which give still such pleasure and delight to me."

(While in Keswick in the Lake District, we know that he spent time studying to the west of the town, under Grisedale Pike at the Force Crag Mines in Coledale.)

Herbert Duerden and Olive Holt were married in the Congregational Chapel, Hill Top, Barrowford on 15 October 1916. Herbert then left to serve in the army - he was in the R.A.M.C. (Royal Army Medical Corps). First of all he served at Salonika in Greece, then later he went to India. While in India, he was able to take some leave and he visited the Taj Mahal, Poona, and saw the Himalayas in the distance. He didn't return to England until 1922.

Soon after his return, he got a scholarship to University in London. We're a little bit muddled about his education in London, but we do know that he studied at the Royal College of Science (see his letter above). Later on, we know he studied law, but supported himself by teaching at Birkbeck College. We've written to Birkbeck College and received this reply:

"Herbert Duerden obtained a BSc Botany 2 in 1925 and a PhD in 1931. He was a life member of the College and a member of the University of London convocation. His qualifications are listed as BSc PhD (London) ARCSc (London). He appears in the calendars [old College records] as a lecturer for the academic years 1926-27 through to 1934-35."

He qualified as a barrister and was called to the Bar, but in those days, in order to practice, he needed family money which, of course, he didn't have. He spent most of his later working life teaching botany at Chelsea Polytechnic, Manresa Road, Chelsea. Some of his qualifications were: Associate of the Royal College of Science, Bachelor of Science, Doctor of Philosophy and Fellow of the Linnaean Society.

Herbert became something of an expert on Coal Balls. A coal ball is a fossil. He collected many of them in Lancashire, then would spend many hours (possibly even days) cutting each one open with a diamond saw. In these coal balls, he found many plants that had supposedly lived 330 million years ago. His research has been recorded in the Annals of Botany. (He did his research at Chelsea Polytechnic.) When his son Keith became interested in photography, he helped to photograph these fossils. Once cut open, they would etch it, put a film of cellulose substance on it which would product an imprint of the leaf that could be photographed.

While Herbert had been studying, Olive had continued to work in the cotton mills in Lancashire. We think she came down to London in about 1926/7, at least ten years after they were married. They lived at Wandsworth, where their first son, Gordon was born. Keith was born in Streatham.

In WWII Keith and Gordon and their mother, Olive, were evacuated to their Uncle and Aunt's house (Fred and Margaret Holt) at 3 Ribblesdale Place, Barrowford, Lancashire, to escape the Blitz (Keith thinks in the winter of 1940 and spring of 1941). Herbert stayed in Horley, Surrey (they moved there in about 1935 from Streatham). He did fire watching at Chelsea Polytechnic and was also a member of the Home Guard allied to the King's Royal Rifles (possibly at Chelsea Barracks).

After WWII one of Grandma's sisters, Florence, also moved into Ribblesdale Place (No. 2), with her husband Robert Slater. They stayed there until at least August 1956, when Keith and his fiancee Gillian, Herbert and Olive, dropped in on their way up to the Lake District. This is where Gillian first had an "Auntie Flo cup of tea" - extraordinarily weak, lots of milk and only a half full tea cup (very fine bone china).

Herbert and Olive Duerden's golden wedding party in 1966

For more of Herbert Duerden's life, see "Leila Williams, Herbert Duerden's second wife" which is also under the Duerden section of this website.