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William Sleight was one of the people in Victorian Society who helped teach and develop sign language. He was a very religious man who attended church regularly.

William Sleight is buried in the same plot as his wife in Brighton cemetery.

He began his career by teaching in a school for the deaf in Yorkshire but when the Brighton school was opened in 1842 he travelled south to become the headmaster.

The first school was in Egremont Place, Brighton. When it started it had less than nine pupils and less than £5 in the bank! By the time of his death in 1912 the school had grown to house up to 102 pupils and thousands of pounds had been raised by public donations to keep the school going.

During his time at the school William Sleight became one of the most famous people in Brighton and hundreds of children were taught sign language by him and his staff.

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