The birth place conflicts with that given in the census, Fulmer Bucks.

1900 Census 2 Warner Street, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA Duckering, William W., head born Nov 1861, age 38 England, arrived USA 1888 a Physician. Duckering, Mary W. sister born Aug 1868 age 31 England arrived USA 1891. Duckering, Charles, brother born Jan 1867 age 33 England arrived USA 1884 a Clerk Railroad.Duckering, Florence W., sister born Aug 1868 age 31 born England, arrived USA 1894 a student. Duckering, James, brother born April 1872 age 28 born England arrived USA 1889 a agent SPCA. Denise, Mina, servant born April 1880 age 20, born Scotland arrived USA 1895 a servant.

The Boston 1904 City Business Directory, records Duckering, Florence W, physician, 330 Dartmouth, followed by an entry for Duckering, William W, physician, 2 Warner, Dor. (see copy of entry)

William W Duckering is recorded arriving at Ellis Island, New York, USA on the 2nd Sept 1905 on the ‘New York’ leaving Southampton 26th August 1905, aged 44, single, A US Citizen. He was travelling with his younger brother Charles Duckering. See copy on file 990.2176

Wm W Duckering is recorded arriving at Ellis Island on the 12th Sept 1914 on the Campania from Liverpool aged 50, single & a US citizen. He was travelling with his two sisters Mary W (aged 47) & Florence W (aged 45). 2175

William Duckering sailed 31st August 1932 from Southampton arriving 6th September 1932. Her age is 67. She is a naturalised USA citizen at 1216 Boston Mass. and her home address is 16 Washington Street, Dorchester, Mass. She was travelling with her sister Mary W. See copy on file.

The Directory of Formar Students of Harvard living in 1919, records William West, (dn 94-9?, 95-98, M.D. Med.) at 2 Warner, New Dorchester, Mass.2177, 2178

The following is an article taken from a book about the school William attended at Horsham, called Collyers. "A History of Collyers School 1532 - 1964" by A.N.Wilson 1965, published by Edward Arnold, 41 Maddox Street, London W1. Copies in Horsham library.
'Epilogue. The Duckering Story.
In the mid-twentieth century, as in the sixteenth, the generosity of a noble benefactor, aided by the goodwill of the Mercers and the wisdom of local Governors, ensured for the School a sturdy vitality. The Company was still strongly represented on the Governing Body, and the Mercers' endowment of 1889 was the chief source of School income. P.A.T, a Londoner, an Old Pauline and a Freeman of the City, did much to strengthen ties both with the Company and its school: the Fourth Centenary revived interest in our history, and its ancient associations were stressed by Mr. Hartin his 1932 Souvenir. Since then the Master of the Company has frequently been the distinguished visitor on Founder's Day, members of the Company have attended O.C. dinners, and The Collyerian has published articles on our links with the City. Another of the Headmaster's bonds had been with an Old Collyerian of Boston, Massachuetts, whose bequest was to have far-reaching consequences. William West Duckering was Buckinghamshire born in 1861, but three years later came to live at Lanaway's Farm, just over Tower Hill. After early education at the little Southwater village school, he spent two years (1873-5) under Richard Cragg. They made a deep impression on him. Since, however, our statutes then decreed that at 14 he must leave school, he went out to earn his living with no grounding in subjects he was to need so badly later on. In any case, a Victorian farmer with a family of four sons and two daughters (*1) rarely favoured prolonged education, and for William found employment in helping on the farm of driving the Horsham railway delivery van. In 1888, at the age of 26, he followed his sister Florence to the U.S.A., working as a janitor and stoker at the very same New York hospital where she was a nurse. In those days it was less difficult in the States than in England to study whilst earning a living. Bit by bit Duckering acquired the Science, Latin and French which admitted him to Harvard. Still paying his keep and the 400-dollar tuiton fees bydint of vacation and weekend employment, he worked his way towards a medical degree. In 1898, now aged 37, he graduated "cum laude", just in time before his money ran out, and he had a breakdown through sheer overwork. From 1900 onwards Dr.Duckering built up a private practice in Boston which he made him beloved by general medical practice. He became a wealthy man, found time for extensive foreign travel, and retired in 1939 after an accident which left him with paralysis of the lower limbs. He died on 3rd May 1945, aged 83.

Dr. Duckering never lost touch with Sussex during these years.Twice he visited Horsham and met his old school fellow and lifelong friend, Frank N. Charman, who in 1923 visited the Doctor at Boston and told him much about the fortunes of Collyer's School. They discussed how best the wealthy bachelor could endow the School for the benfit of poor scholars. From this time onwards Duckering kept in touch with Horsham, becoming a life-member of the O.C.A., and corresponding with its members. In 1924 he presented us with the curious silver cup awarded annually to the winner of the Senior Cross Country. (*2) During World War II he wrote regularly to the Headmaster, sent him money for the benefit of Old Collyerians on active service, and gave the School £200 to endow the Duckering Gifts awarded annually to the outstanding Senior and Junior on the playing-fields. But already he had planned something much bigger. In 1937 there was still room for genrous scholarships to a grammar school such as Collyer's. Dr Duckering, therefore, set up a trust fund to yield £100 scholarships for boarders and five £35 for day boys, in memory of his mother: in addition there was to be a Richard Cragg £100 Scholarship for another boarder, and the Governors had power to modify these terms if it would better serve the purpose of the testator. Under his will the residuary estate was added to the trust fund, but this magnificent legacy was not to come to the School until after the death of his two maiden sisters, Mary who lived in Florida, and Florence who now practised as a physician in Boston. By 1945 his only other surviving blood relation was his niece, another Florence Duckering, daughter of his brother Charles: she also was a Doctor, and she later on played a decisive part when there arose considerable doubt whether the School was really entitled to the legacy.

This uncertainty stemmed from the 1944 Education Act, which had abolished all fees in grammar schools such as our own a few months before Dr Duckering died, thus making his bequest, as it stood, redundant. The same Act also decreed that to qualify for the large measure of independence attached to "Aided Status" a school must find half the sum needed for any new building schemes, the rest coming from the Treasury. Whilst Dr.Duckering's two sisters lived, therefore, our Governors were exercised to preserve us an "Aided School" on the strength of our expectation, hoping that they could manage without capital expenditure until such time as they came into their own. They were fairly safe in banking on this, since by 1951 it was clear that the brave postwar schemes for rebuilding our schools were being spread further and further down the years. Dr Florence Duckering the elder died in 1951, leaving Miss Mary Duckering, an active old lady of 84, between the School and the Duckering bequest. She took a great interest in the School, regularly corresponding with the Headmaster, and once sending us £50 when her niece after visiting us reported that the school library had some empty shelves. (*3)

The Headmaster and Governors won the battle for Aided Status in 1951 and the Duckering estate continued to appreciate; but when Mr D.J. Coulson became Headmaster in September 1956 it was clear that, legacy or no legacy, a large building programme could no longer be avoided. There was still no Gymnasium, no proper Dining Hall or kitchens, and space in the Victorian laboratory block was 3,000 square feet short of the minimum requirements. Moreover, the "Great Hall" of 1912 was now so small, even with its 1931 extension, that there was not even standing room for the whole of the School and staff at once.

"It was clear, as it was to Mr. Tharp, that we have reached a point in our history where action on a large scale ought to be considered if school achievements in future are to match those of the past." With these words to his first Governors' Meeting the new Head pointed out the main target for the next few years. Mr Coulson was educated at the ancient Yorkshire grammar school at Pocklington, and like his two immediate predecessors was a Cambrdige man (St John's College), a Rugger player and a war-time Army officer with some very active service. He had taught at Merchant Taylors until 1952, when he became Headmaster of Adams' Grammar School, Wem, Shropshire, which he successfully defended against such threats to close it down. When he came to Horsham, in spite of our 500-odd boys we were still regarded as a "two-form entry" school, although regularly receiving three complete new first forms annually. The choice for the County Council was whether to build a large new grammar school, whilst the numbers in the old one shrank to the size of its buildings, or to make us a school aduequate once again for the wide catchment area we had served for so long. The West Sussex County decided to to give us its blessing to the £150,000 building plans which the Governors were preparing with the aid of their architect, L.H.Parsons (O.C.). These were well advanced when Miss Mary Duckering died at the age of 91 in June 1958, and the Governors seemed entitled to a legacy of about $300,000.
A legal report, however, soon showed that any scheme to employ this sum for new buildings, instead of for the original purpose of providing scholarships, might be a failure, at any rate as far as most of the estate was concerned: and yet the Governors urgently needed the whole if they were to finance the projected development and to set aside an endowment sufficient to safeguard the prized Aided Status. It was true that in English law a "cy pres" decree often allowed diversion of a trust fund if it could be proved that the testator having awholly charitable intention would have altered his terms had he known of changed circumstances - and the Massachusetts law was thought to be equally favourable, but this could only be tested by pleadings in the Boston Court of Probate.
With the approval of the Ministry of Education, and strong support from the Mercers' Company, affidavits were prepared proving both the School's need and the protection which thelegacy would bestow upon it. One of the most signal features ofthe case was the goodwill shown towards the school in America: the New England Trust Company re-invested the money in U.S.A. Treasury Bills as so to be safe from the ups and downs of Wall Street: no objections came from any next-of-kin: Dr Florence Duckering dissolved all doubts, if ever there were any, about what her uncle would have done under the changed circumstances: (*4) lastly Mr. Faneuil Admas, the American lawyer representing the Governors, succeeded in bringing the petition before an informal session of the Court - a considerable saving in time and money. On 5th October 1960 our Governing Body received the following communication:
"Decree of Probate Court of Massachusetts. 21st July 1960.
"After hearing and consideration, the Court orders, decrees and instructs the Petitioner (i.e. the New England Trust Company) to pay over and distribute the principle of the trust togther with any accumulation thereto and any undistributed income accrued theron after payment there from of all taxes, expense and charges properly payable there fromm, to Collyer's School for its general purposes." Following on this, Mr F. Williams, Clerk to the Governors, whose legal skill had been invaluable throughout this because celebre, now summed up the position: after paying £50,000 or so needed for the new building the school could safely put away £35,000 to accumulate for the future, since previous endowments were adequate for current needs. This still left a further sum in the U.S.A., just in case American taxation had claims on the estate, but even here the New World was kind to the Old, for the balance, amounting to £22,000, was received by the Governors in January 1963, through the good offices of the Trust Department of the New England Merchant Bank.
Some idea of the development arising from the Duckering Bequest can be gained from the plan in our library by one O.C., J.Warren and the photograph taken by another, H. Streeter. Phase One, completed by Y.J.Lovell & Co. between February and December 1961, gave us a spacious Gymnasium, with ample changing-rooms and some of the most up-to-date school laboratories in the country. The original intention had been to expand in the grand manner over Angus' Farm, away from the traffic roar of Hurst Road, but as before in our history, the legal entanglements of enlarging our boundaries proved to great and the wide lawns which replaced the old vegetable garden in 1957 were curtailed: for the second time in our history also we lost a fives court. Phase "One A", Duckering Assembly-Dining Hall and Kitchens: over the Foyer is the elegant "Small Upper Hall", where Governor and staff meetings, receptions, lectures, exhibitions and School societies are entertained. ....
Two special days in our twentieth century will long be remembered: one is 2nd July 1932, when the Fourth Centenary was celebrated. The other is 31st January 1964, when a distinguished gathering honoured the memory of Dr Duckering at the opening of the imposing Assembly Hall which bears his name. It was in keeping with ancient traditions that the dedication was undertaken by the Rev. P.L. Gillingham, twenty-ninth in the succession of Vicars who have been chief Governors since 1541:t hat in the chair was David Bryce, pupil at the school from 1894 to 1898, a representative of Horsham on the Governing Body for forty-two years and its Chaiman throughout the vital years of our recent history: and that the opening ceremony itself was performed by Lord Ebbisham, Master of that City Company which has made so much history. There is evidence that Sussex M.P.swre active on our behalf as early as 1694 and they have certainly been so in our last century: hence it was fitting that Mr C.F.H. Gough, M.P., should address the company. ....."The said scholars to be at no charge for their schooling and none to be refused likely to learn." The words are Richard Collyer's, and thanks to the spirit of the present age our Founder's purpose has never been more generously fulfilled. HONOR DEO " link list.txt.01 The other members of the family were Thomas, Charles, James, Florence and Mary, all of whom emigrated to the United States, except Tom, who went to Australia. Charles attended our school, for his name appears as a second form prize-winner in 1880, according to the Horsham Advertiser for 3rd July. link list.txt.02 The cup was originally made of Mexican silver dollars for the last Governor of New Mexico before it was taken over by the U.S.A. in 1848. A grateful patient gave it to Dr Duckering. Since 1943 it has been known as the "Richard Cragg" Cup. linkl ist.txt.03 She once wrote in jest to P.A.T. apologising that her good health was keeping us so long out of our inheritance - to which he replied in the same spirit, "Long live Miss Duckering", since he could see no prospect of new buildings for years and mean while the value of the estate was advancing.*4 Dr Florence Duckering (The younger) died in January 1962, whilst practising in Wisconsin. (Article supplied by Michael D.16.3.96)

The Duckering building was completed in 1963.