91 CHAPTER NINE EARLY SLOUGH SCHOOLS Nothing is known of schools in the parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey until the 19th century. Various private schools are mentioned in the 1830's - Mrs. Penley's at Upton, (1) and Mr. Wade's in the High . Street (2) — and presumably there were Dame Schools where a few pence secured a grounding in 'The Three R's', but the majority of the earlier schools were denominational, the 'National' Schools being promoted by the Church of England, and 'British' schools by the Nonconformists. (3) CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS The Church of England schools were originally held in a building at Arbour Vale. Infant schools were first opened in England in 1815, but it is not known when they were opened here. All that is known at present is that Infant Schools were built at Chalvey and Slough, with the boys and girls remain- ing in Arbour Vale. The Report of the Commissioners on popular education, in the second half of the 19th century, and an increased interest in education, co-incided with the rapid increase of population in Slough. The Arbour Vale building was sold, and other school rooms were built successively at Slough and Chalvey, most of which were still in use until a few years ago, although many new schools were built after the enlargement of the town's boundaries. These early school buildings, although they had not got the amenities considered necessary in modern schools, were substantially built, and are remembered nostalgically by many who received their education there. It is interesting to compare the cost of building them, with the cost of schools today. The Slough Girls' Schoolroom, which was originally an Infant's School, was built at a cost of £509. 3s. 3d., including £100 for the site, and was opened on 9 November, 1864. An additional class- room and cloakroom were added in 1885, at a cost of £226. The Slough Boys' Schoolroom and Master's House, which cost £1,136. 19s. 10d., was opened on 5 April, 1869. The Slough Infants' Room, which cost £331, was opened in January, 1869; and a new Infants' Room, which cost £341. 14s. 2d. was opened in July, 1878. (4) St.Paul's Schoolroom was built in 1885, and new Sunday School buildings were opened in 1933. ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS When Baylis House was opened as a Roman Catholic School and Centre in 1830, it was not within the Slough boundaries, but the school had a close association with Slough from the first, as the only centre of worship and instruction for Slough Roman Catholics, and for the last seven years of the school's existence, it was brought within the town through the extension of the Urban District boundary in 1900. After the Reformation, the Roman Catholics suffered many disabilities, including dire penalties for giving instruction in the Roman Catholic religion, until the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829, yet the school which came to Baylis House began its existence at Richmond, Surrey, six years before the passing of the Act, through the enterprise of William Henry Butt (born 1787) and his brother, James Palmer Butt (1789-1873). Their success led to a need for larger premises, and the removal of the school to Baylis House in 1830, together with the Preparatory School kept in early days at Spring Terrace, Richmond, by the Misses Adams, sisters of Mrs. James Butt, and afterwards known as the 'Little School' of Baylis House. William Henry Butt withdrew in 1835 to Norwood, Surrey, but James Palmer Butt remained at Baylis House as Principal, and after some years, was assisted by his sons, James William Butt (1821-1861) and William Henry Butt (1829-1909). The latter succeeded his father as Principal. He and his wife Mary (1841-1906) had a son and four daughters, Mary, Agnes, Gertrude, and Cecilia. (5) 92 The history of Baylis House School has been told by Canon Edwin Burton in Baylis House, Salt Hill, Slough: Catholic School and Catholic Centre, 1830-1907, (6) in which he says: 'Baylis House was always much more than a school, it was a centre from which, for many long years, flowed charity and help for the spiritual and corporal needs of the scattered flock of Christ which in that neighbourhood held to the ancient faith'. Miss Cecilia Magdalen Butt, the last local survivor of the Butt family, gave interesting details of the school when interviewed in August, 1957, by Mr. D. Rowe, of Urwick Orr and Partners, Ltd., (7) She was then about 80 years of age. Her father and uncles ran the Senior School, and her mother and sisters the Junior School. There were 80 in the house, of whom 60 were pupils, and it was 'like a village, with its own brewery, bakery, wash-house, dairy, scalding-house for pans, apple-house, and potato house'. They farmed 99 acres, including pastures. The boys had their own pack of beagles, like the Eton College boys, and 'had beer with their dinner'. The Eton boys used to come over to Baylis House to watch cricket there on Sundays, as cricket was not allowed at Eton on a Sunday. The Butt family also ran an import-export business, and from this built up foreign connections. Many pupils came from France, Spain, Brazil and Trinidad, including several generations of the Domecq family of Jerez, Spain. The school excelled at book-keeping and languages, Spanish and French being spoken as much as English. (8) Among others who received their schooling at Baylis House were (Sir) Seymour Hicks, the popular actor-manager, George Edwards, the theatre manager and his son Darcy; (9) Sir Henry Bedingfield of Oxburgh and Leslie Ward (the famous cartoonist, 'Spy'). (10) Six former Baylis House boys represented foreign countries at the coronation of George V. (11) By far the greater number of Baylis House students who achieved distinction in after years became Roman Catholic priests, including several of the Butt family. John Butt, who was a Chaplain in the Crimean War, became fourth Bishop of Southwark, and his nephew, Joseph Butt (born 1869) became Vice-Rector of Beda College in Rome, and later Auxiliary to Cardinal Bourne at Westminster. When Cardinal Bourne died in 1935, Joseph Butt administered the diocese until the appointment of Arch- bishop Hinsley. In 1936, on Joseph Butt's Silver Jubilee as a bishop, Pope Pius XI created him an Assistant at the Pontifical Throne. Bishop Butt resigned his bishopric the following year, owing to ill- health, and in 1938 was created an Archbishop (See of Nicopsi). He died in the early 1940's. (12) Among many other pupils who achieved distinction in the Roman Catholic Church were Bishop Keatinge, C.M.G., afterwards Archbishop of Liverpool; John Crook, (13) President of St. Edmund's College, Ware, Hertfordshire, from 1887-1892, and Canon Edwin Burton, who was President of St. Edmund's from 1916-1918, (14) but the most celebrated was Rafael Merry del Val (1865-1930), Cardinal Secretary of State to Pope Pius X. He was ordained priest in 1888; Secretary to the Papal Commission on Anglican Orders in 1896; and went as Apostolic delegate to Canada in 1897. He was Consistorial Secretary in 1903; Pontifical Secretary of State 1903-14; Cardinal priest of the titular church of Santa Prasscde in 1903; Archpriest of St. Peter's in 1914; and Secretary of the Holy Office from 1914 until his death in Rome. (15) In spite of this distinguished record of students, Baylis House declined. (16) William Henry Butt became bankrupt, and gave up the school in 1907, when he was 78 years of age. He died two years later. (17) His eldest daughter, Miss Mary Butt, who was Lady Principal of the Preparatory School, carried on at Milford House, Windsor Road, (18) where many foreign pupils still came. (19) She was awarded the Medal Pro Ecclessia et Pontifice by Pope Pius XI — probably on the recommendation of Cardinal Merry del Val. She retired in 1930, when the school celebrated its centenary, and lived to be over 90 years of age. (20) Father Clementc, who had been appointed Chaplain at Baylis House in 1882, and had established the Roman Catholic Chapel in Herschel Street in 1885, was instrumental in having a school built next to the chapel, and fronting on Victoria Street, in 1886, with a large donation from the Dowager Duchess of Buccleuch, of Ditton Park, who had been converted to Roman Catholicism. (21) The school opened with 25 children. A new schoolroom was added in 1889. It was re-built and re-opened in 1894 to take 140 children, and final extensions were completed in 1949. The St.Ethelbert's Junior School moved from Victoria Street to modern buildings in Wexham Road in 1967, and the St.Ethelbert's Infants' School moved to another new building there in 1972. (22) 93 St. Bernard's Convent School was opened in 1897 (see p. 94). St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Secondary School was opened in Shaggy Calf Lane in 1958. (23) THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH SCHOOL In 1854, the Congregational School at Chalvey was removed to Slough, where the schoolroom of the new church was used as a day school, and the Chalvey British School removed there in the following year. According to the financial records of this school, the teacher's salary, apart from scholars' pence, was £15 a year in 1863. In 1870, the Head Teacher's salary was £21 a year, and the children's pence amounted to £31. 11s. Od. The first Government grant, of £4.