John Nettleship
Encyclopedia
John Lawrence Nettleship (1 August 1939 – 12 March 2011) was a British
schoolteacher who taught chemistry
at Wyedean School, Gloucestershire
. His pupils there included Joanne Rowling, whose mother worked for some time as an assistant in his department. He has been claimed as a major inspiration for the character of Severus Snape
in Rowling's Harry Potter
series of fantasy books.
, and studied Chemistry at the University of Leeds
in the late 1950s. He joined the Labour Party
at that time, and remained an active member for the rest of his life. After leaving university, he taught in Birmingham
, where he married and had three children; the marriage later ended in divorce and he remarried in the 1980s.
In 1970 he began teaching at Caldicot School in Monmouthshire
, Wales
, moving to become Head of Science at Wyedean School in Sedbury
, Gloucestershire, a few miles away, in 1974. Joanne Rowling began studying at the school in September 1976, and her mother Anne worked as a technician in the Science department from 1978. He was often known as "Stinger" by pupils due to his last name being "Nettleship". This led to the practical joke of telling first years to ask for "Mr Stinger", which ended up with them getting in trouble.
Nettleship described himself in hindsight as "a short-tempered chemistry teacher with long hair...[and a] gloomy, malodorous laboratory..". He was first questioned about his links to Rowling's character of Snape by journalists, saying: "I was horrified when I first found out. I knew I was a strict teacher but I didn't think I was that bad." Rowling herself stated that Snape was "loosely based on a teacher I myself had". After being initially unhappy about the comparison, Nettleship came to terms with the connection, and wrote a short book, Harry Potter's Chepstow, about Rowling's connections with Chepstow
. He also gave talks on the connections that the Chepstow, Wye Valley
and Forest of Dean
areas had with the Harry Potter books.
Nettleship retired in 1997. As well as being an active member of the Labour Party, he was a member of Caerwent
community council
, serving as its chairman in 1991. He was instrumental in setting up Caerwent Historic Trust, becoming its secretary and researching the history of the area.
He died of cancer in 2011, aged 71, after having being diagnosed in 2006. A spokeswoman for J. K. Rowling said that the author was sorry to hear of his death.
He was played by Andrew Kavadas
in the J.K. Rowling biopic Magic Beyond Words
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
schoolteacher who taught chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at Wyedean School, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. His pupils there included Joanne Rowling, whose mother worked for some time as an assistant in his department. He has been claimed as a major inspiration for the character of Severus Snape
Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel of the series, he is hostile toward Harry and is built up to be the primary antagonist until the final chapters. As the series progresses, Snape's character becomes more layered and...
in Rowling's Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series of fantasy books.
Life
Nettleship was born in NottinghamNottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, and studied Chemistry at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
in the late 1950s. He joined the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
at that time, and remained an active member for the rest of his life. After leaving university, he taught in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, where he married and had three children; the marriage later ended in divorce and he remarried in the 1980s.
In 1970 he began teaching at Caldicot School in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, moving to become Head of Science at Wyedean School in Sedbury
Sedbury
Sedbury is a village in the Forest of Dean district of west Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the eastern bank of the River Wye, facing the Welsh town of Chepstow...
, Gloucestershire, a few miles away, in 1974. Joanne Rowling began studying at the school in September 1976, and her mother Anne worked as a technician in the Science department from 1978. He was often known as "Stinger" by pupils due to his last name being "Nettleship". This led to the practical joke of telling first years to ask for "Mr Stinger", which ended up with them getting in trouble.
Nettleship described himself in hindsight as "a short-tempered chemistry teacher with long hair...[and a] gloomy, malodorous laboratory..". He was first questioned about his links to Rowling's character of Snape by journalists, saying: "I was horrified when I first found out. I knew I was a strict teacher but I didn't think I was that bad." Rowling herself stated that Snape was "loosely based on a teacher I myself had". After being initially unhappy about the comparison, Nettleship came to terms with the connection, and wrote a short book, Harry Potter's Chepstow, about Rowling's connections with Chepstow
Chepstow
Chepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
. He also gave talks on the connections that the Chepstow, Wye Valley
Wye Valley
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
and Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
areas had with the Harry Potter books.
Nettleship retired in 1997. As well as being an active member of the Labour Party, he was a member of Caerwent
Caerwent
Caerwent is a village and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about five miles west of Chepstow and eleven miles east of Newport, and was founded by the Romans as the market town of Venta Silurum, an important settlement of the Brythonic Silures tribe. The modern village is built...
community council
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
, serving as its chairman in 1991. He was instrumental in setting up Caerwent Historic Trust, becoming its secretary and researching the history of the area.
He died of cancer in 2011, aged 71, after having being diagnosed in 2006. A spokeswoman for J. K. Rowling said that the author was sorry to hear of his death.
He was played by Andrew Kavadas
Andrew Kavadas
Andrew Kavadas is a Canadian voice actor who works for Ocean Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He has played several roles in anime, most notably Patrick Zala in Gundam Seed...
in the J.K. Rowling biopic Magic Beyond Words
Magic Beyond Words
Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story is a made-for-TV film starring Australian actress Poppy Montgomery. The film, which was shot in B.C. Canada locations altered to look like British locations, details the journey of struggling single mother J. K...
.