This was the gift that he imparted to all his pupils, and they to theirs.So this gift came, in apostolic succession, to Heather Child. He had been a solicitor, unhappy in his work, when Cockerell found him and told him to join Edward Johnston’s class at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, where he soon became his best pupil, succeeding Johnston as teacher at the Central School. Her vocation did not come until 1928, when she went to the Chelsea School of Art, where she studied under Mervyn Oliver, from whom she learned not only calligraphy but the diversity of arts that went with it.
Oliver had been one of the first pupils of Graily Hewitt, the favourite calligrapher of Sydney Cockerell. Besides her own work, which stretched over 70 years, she did more than anyone else to propagate Johnston’s gospel.

She was born in 1911, in Winchester, where her father, Francis Child, was a doctor and surgeon to Winchester College; one of her great-aunts was Josephine Butler, ever memorable for her tireless campaign against the white slave trade. She herself gave early signs of the adeptness that marked all her work; she was “good with her hands” and could turn them to anything. It will face intense competition in the digital age and further regulatory restraints.”. Heather Child was the most distinguished calligrapher living in England, where her revered master, Edward Johnston (1872-1944), revived the art at the end of the last century.

While Mr Leaver has publicly emphasised that “there is no weakening of the link” between Sky and the league, industry sources say he is keen to secure a fair payment for the digital terrestrial rights.A period of protracted squabbling over the rights will do nothing to help Sky’s share-price, which has been battered in recent weeks by news of the resignations of Sam Chisholm, the company’s chief executive, and David Chance, his deputy.Sky’s enforced withdrawal from BDB has also depressed the stock.The report from Henderson Crosthwaite, entitled Digital TV: the Implications, sees further troubles ahead for Sky: “We continue to believe Sky is overvalued. Even so, the league has approached other broadcasters to sound them out on how much the digital terrestrial rights are worth.The disagreement is thought to have been triggered in part by the arrival of a new chief executive at the Premier League, Peter Leaver. However, the league is thought to be pushing for at least pounds 70m.A spokesman for the Premier League said: “The development of digital terrestrial is clearly over and above the current agreements. Broadcasting the Premiership games cannot occur without the explicit agreement of the Premier League.”He added: “Broadcasters cannot expect to earn vast sums of money from the transmission of our games without football seeing some of the benefits.”According to a report published today by the stockbroking firm Henderson Crosthwaite, Sky will succeed in negotiating the rights, “but at a price”.However, a source close to Sky said it would not be worth paying over the odds for the Premiership as viewing figures for digital terrestrial television would be low at first.According to estimates from Henderson Crosthwaite, BDB will capture 1.2 million subscribers by the time Sky’s contract with Premier League comes up for renewal in 2001.Although Sky does not have the first option on negotiations with the league for digital terrestrial, the satellite operator does have a “holdback” clause which prevents the league agreeing a deal with another broadcaster.An auction is therefore virtually out of the question.