The Gresham School Log Book 1874-1900
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The Gresham School Log Book 1874-1900 Transcribed and indexed by Bill Atkins 2017 1 Contents List References............................................................................................................................................... 2 Preface..................................................................................................................................................... 3 Early Days of Education in the Village ..................................................................................................... 4 The First Gresham Board School ............................................................................................................. 6 The Second Gresham Board School ....................................................................................................... 9 The School Log Book Transcription ....................................................................................................... 10 Appendix 1 - Teaching Staff ................................................................................................................. 156 Appendix 2 - School Board Members Mentioned in the Log Book ....................................................... 159 Appendix 3 - Government, County and District Officials ...................................................................... 160 Appendix 4 - Local People Mentioned ................................................................................................. 162 Appendix 5 - The Pupils ....................................................................................................................... 164 Appendix 6 - Educational Standards .................................................................................................... 176 Appendix 7 - Map of Gresham and District .......................................................................................... 177 References 1. Gresham Voices and Faces by Keith Entwistle, published by Grasshopper 2000. 2. Kelly’s and White’s Post Office Directories of Norfolk. 3. Gresham School log books 1874-1991 (ACC 2001/285) - Norfolk Record Office. 4. Fifth Annual Report of the National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church, published London 1816. 5. Great Britain Census returns (National Archives). 6. Norfolk Parish Registers (Norfolk Record Office). 7. Norfolk Annals Volume 2 (1851–1900), compiled from the files of the Norfolk Chronicle by Charles Mackie. 8. Return of Owners of Land 1873 - Norfolk (HM Stationery Office). 2 Preface In the course of my family history research during 2016 I came across a scanned copy of the Gresham Board School log book that covers the years 1874 to 1900. Over the following weeks I transcribed the 500+ pages of the book and the results are presented in this document. I also tried to find out more about the people, practices and events that were mentioned and the resulting details are included in footnotes and seven Appendices that I hope will add value. It was a very interesting task, given the glimpses that it provides us of village life in the last quarter of the 19th Century, with its difficulties, dangers and pleasures. To my knowledge, none of the images in this document are subject to copyright, the majority having been copied from books published in the 19th Century. I'm happy for anyone to use and re-publish extracts for strictly non-commercial purposes, otherwise I shall claim transcription copyright for the Log Book itself and full copyright © 2017 for the remainder. Drafts of the document were sent to both the School and the Gresham Parish Council for review, comment and input, but 'answer came there none.' Bill Atkins Reading, Berkshire The Log Book 3 Early Days of Education in the Village A school was first provided in Gresham by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education, an organisation that was founded in 1811 to educate England's poor. The school was in operation by 1816, when the Society’s Annual Report noted that it was open three days a week and was attended by 10 boys and 10 girls. It is not known where in the village the school was located, but the church is a possibility. Later, in 1856, a purpose-built Parish (Parochial) School building was erected under the direction of builder and architect John Joseph Darken of Holt and remained in use until 1898. The National Society granted £5 in Oct 1858 towards the enlargement of the school and later, in January 1866, £3 for books and slates. Location of the first School Norfolk Chronicle - Saturday 28 August 1858 The Census records and Directories that are available record the following details of the teachers in the period before the Board School was established: • 1839 - John Shinkfield, Schoolmaster. • 1841 - No schoolmaster/mistress was recorded in the census and none of the children in the village were identified as 'Scholar,' but this census - across the country - is notable for its lack of information. John Shinkfield, then age 351 and living with his first wife Elizabeth, was listed as an Ag Lab (Agricultural Labourer). • 1851 - John Shinkfield, Schoolmaster. 41 of the children in the village were denoted 'Scholar,' though there were at least a dozen more of school age who were not. 1 Ages for adults were rounded down to the nearest 5 in the Census for 1841. 4 • 1861 - John & Mary Shinkfield, living with a 19 year-old Pupil Teacher Lucy Wilson. Norfolk Chronicle - Saturday 21 September 1861 Norfolk Chronicle - Saturday 20 August 1864 • 1864 - Susannah Clarke. • 1869 - Susan Clarke and John Shinkfield. • 1871 - John & Mary Shinkfield, Susannah Clarke (Schoolmistress) and Mary Ann Painter (Teacher). It’s unclear whether they all taught at Gresham itself or in nearby Parishes. 5 The First Gresham Board School A School Board was formed in February 1873, in response to the Elementary Education Act of 1870, and one of its first actions was to enlarge the existing school at a cost of £560. Under the Act, as it applied to Gresham: • The School Board was to comprise not less than 5 members elected by the ratepayers. Most of those mentioned in the Gresham school log were also serving as Poor Law Guardians for the Erpingham Union2. • The Board’s mission was to provide elementary education for children aged 5–13 (inclusive) from the district's Parishes of Gresham, Bessingham, East Beckham and North Barningham3. Children were also recorded in the Log as being from Sustead, Beeston Regis and Metton. • The Board financed itself by a precept (a requisition) added to the local poor rate. It was also eligible to apply for capital funding in the form of government loans or grants. • Parents had to pay fees for their children to attend the school at a level determined by the Board. Fees of children who were poor would be paid by the Board, over and above any relief granted by the Erpingham Poor Law Union. The Gresham fees were 2d a week initially but appear to have been raised to 3d in 1888. They were abolished entirely in 1891. • The Board could, if considered necessary, create a by-law and make attendance compulsory, unless there was an excuse, for example; sickness, or living more than three miles from a school, or unless they had been certified as having reached a defined standard of education. In 1873, 40% of the British population lived in compulsory attendance districts. • Parents had the right to withdraw their children from religious education. There is no mention of this right being exercised at Gresham. • The school would be inspected annually by Her Majesty's Inspectors and the assessment determined the size of the annual Government grant (i.e. 'payment by results'). The old school building (left) and its later additions 2 www.oldshuck.info/erpingham_poor_law.html 3 See map at Appendix 7. 6 The story after 1874 becomes clearer, thanks to the log book which is the subject of this document. The first Schoolmaster, George Chandler, who was in his early twenties and inexperienced, was unprepared for the amount of absenteeism and sickness among the pupils when he arrived in 1874. It made it difficult for him to establish a stable teaching regime and his frustration and occasional anger are apparent. George also had frequent visits from Board members, as well as their wives and daughters, who helped with the teaching but perhaps on some occasions only added to the disruption. Reverend Arthur Dewing Spurgin, Clerk to the Board, appears to have been George's most enthusiastic supporter. George left abruptly in August 1877, a month after receipt of a critical report from Her Majesty's Inspectors. He moved to Worlaby, Lincolnshire, where he was head teacher for the next 28 years until his death. Joseph Cox and his wife Catherine took over the running of the school in September 1877. Although only 24 and new to the County, he developed quickly and became increasingly confident as his experience grew. For the next quarter of a century covered by the Log, Joseph struggled against great variation in the level of absenteeism and found it difficult to carry forward his teaching with so many children dropping behind and dropping out altogether. Undeterred, he remained largely positive, enthusiastic and innovative in his teaching methods, as the Log shows. There were four main causes of absenteeism: the weather, sickness, outside employment and unwillingness or inability to pay school fees. The weather. Heavy rain and snow were guaranteed to keep many at home and this was accepted as a valid excuse,