(also at www.sheering.org.uk/news)
April 2020201620 161616 124
Sheering School 200th Anniversary widespread literacy. Reading of political and religious pamphlets would ferment disorder. Sheering School: Early Years from 18161816----18791879 The Bishop of London commented in 1803 that “It is safest for both the Government and 2016 is a year rich in historical anniversaries. the religion of the country to let the lower We are remembering this year the 400th classes remain in that state of ignorance in anniversary of the death of William which nature has originally placed them.” Shakespeare (23rd April 1616); the 100th Fortunately some members of the clergy, such Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme as Francis Tutte were more enlightened. They (1916); the 350th Anniversary of the Great held that simple schooling was a benefit, Fire of London (1666); the 950th Anniversary allowing the poor to read the Scriptures and of the Battle of Hastings and the invasion of to earn a useful, if humble living. In 1811 a England by William the Conqueror (14th group of high church Anglicans had formed October 1066). For Sheering, however, the anniversary which we are remembering is the 200th Anniversary of the founding in 1816 of Sheering Church of England Primary School by Francis Tutte, who had been rector of Sheering since 1778. Francis Tutte gave the sum of £105 in new three and a half per cent stocks, the interest on which was to provide a school mistress to teach twelve poor girls of Sheering to read, spell and sew. Francis Tutte, who had been educated at Sheering School about 1906 Christchurch College, the National Society for the Education of the Oxford had also been vicar of Henham, since Poor in the Principles of the Established 1796. He had to preach thirteen sermons a Church. The objective of National Schools was year in each parish. He died on 13th January not to provide a wide education, but an 1824. For much of his long incumbency education in the principles of the Established Sheering seems to have been served by Church and to communicate such knowledge curates. “as to guide pupils through life in their proper In the late 18th and early 19th Centuries the station.” Similarly the objective of Francis upper and middle classes had two theories Tutte in founding Sheering School was not to about the education of the poor. The first provide a wide education but to “teach twelve considered such schooling would be poor girls to read, spell and sew”. This was dangerous. Reading would distract workers better than providing no education at all. from their toil. The horrors of the French
Revolution only confirmed prejudices against Continued on page 6 2 In This Edition St Clare Hospice Open Gardens & Lottery 21
Early Sheering School History Front Page The Hundred Parishes Society 22
Diary 3 Hundred Parishes 22
Letters 4 Recycling 24
Robert Halfon MP 5 Encouraging Hedgehogs 25
Early Sheering School History cont. 6 The Cricket Hut - photos 25
Gary Waller, District Councillor 7 St Mary’s Services & Friends of St Mary’s 26
Parish Council News, dates, members 8/9 Useful Information Back Cover
Village Hall; Harlow Theatre Company; WI; 10 Could you deliver some copies of Sheering News in Four Acres Sheering Village Pre-School CIC 11 three times a year? Mother & Tots; Short Mat Bowling; 12 Please contact Sheila Caves Sheering Copse 12 725578 Sheering School 17 Exhibitions about Mobile Library 18 the proposed junction 7a are due 347 Bus 18 to be held starting in May for 8 weeks Mobile Library Dates 19
Sheila Whitbread - Tributes 20 essexhighways.org 3
DDDIARY Please let us have AAAPRIL letters, articles and Monday 11 Sheering School Spring term starts photos for the next 01279 734210 admin@sheering.essex.sch.uk edition of Sheering Tuesday 12 Mother & Toddler Group - come News promptly by along with your little ones and have a cup of tea 1 July 2016. and a chat 1.00 - 2.30 Contact Beryl Gurteen 07881557746 Tuesday 12 WI 7.30 for 7.45. All welcome. DDDAILY Barbara Barker 01279 734354 PrePrePre-Pre ---School:School: Every weekday 9.00 - 12.00 and Wednesday 27 Annual Parish Meeting 7.30 in the Monday, Wednesday & Fridays afternoon play Village Hall 12.30 - 3.00 during term time in the Village Hall. Beryl Gurteen 07881557746 .
Saturday 30 Charity Abseil see page 14 MMMAYAYAY WWWEEKLY Sunday 1 Charity Abseil see page 14 Bridge Club: Thursdays 7.15 in the Village Hall Thursday 5 Police & Crime Commissioner Election June Whitbread 01279 651234 Tuesday 10 WI 7.30 for 7.45. All welcome. Brownies: Wednesdays 5.30 - 7.00 Church Room. Barbara Barker 01279 734354 Anne Croft 01279 734391 Tuesday 10 Mother & Toddler Group - come Guides: girls aged 10 plus every Tuesday during along with your little ones and have a cup of tea term time 7.15 - 8.45 in the Village Hall , call and a chat 1.00 - 2.30 Contact Beryl Gurteen Lynda Case on 0787 251 4250 with enquiries. 07881557746 Short Mat Bowling Club: Mondays and Thursdays Saturday 14 , 7.00 Annual Concert in church. £8 777.007 - 10.00, Thursdays 1.30 - 4.00 in the Village (£1 for children aged 6 to 12) including a drink Hall Maureen Wright 01279 722728 and refreshments served after the concert. Not Slimming World: Wednesdays 5.30 and 7.30 suitable for under-6s. For more details, ring Village Hall Alison 07826 252321 734334 or 734442 Tuesday Teas: 2.30 in the Church Room. All Saturday & Sunday 28 &29 Garden Open welcome for a cup of tea and a chat. Longridge, Sawbridgeworth Road, Hatfield Heath CM22 7DR for Grove Cottage MENCAP. Saturday FFFORTNIGHTLY 10.00- 4.30 Sunday 2.00–5.00 Lots of entertainment both days Mobile Library Van alternate Wednesdays Sheering/Lower Sheering JJJUNE Crown car park 10.15-10.35 Saturday & Sunday 11 & 12 The Queen’s 90th Sheering Village Hall 10.35 - 11.05 birthday celebrations. Lower Sheering Bus Shelter 11.50 - 12.10 see page 18 for dates Tuesday 14 WI 7.30 for 7.45. All welcome. Barbara Barker 01279 734354 MMMONTHLY Tuesday 14 Mother & Toddler Group - come WIWIWI meet on the second Tuesday of the month along with your little ones and have a cup of tea (except July & August) in the Village Hall at 7.30 and a chat 1.00 - 2.30 Contact Beryl Gurteen for 7.45. You will be made very welcome whether 07881557746 you come along as a visitor or become a Thursday 23 European Union Referendum member. Barbara Barker 01279 734354 Saturday & Sunday 25 & 26 Flower Festival St Mother & Toddler Group Every second Tuesday in Mary’s Church the month 1.00 - 2.30. Come along with your Saturday & Sunday 25 & 26 St Clare Hospice little ones and have a cup of tea and a chat Open Gardens Event stclarehospice.org.uk Contact Beryl Gurteen 07881557746 JJJULY Tuesday 1 copy date for Sheering News Wednesday 13 WI Garden Luncheon ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
Tuesday 12 Mother & Toddler Group - come 27 APRIL along with your little ones and have a cup of tea and a chat 1.00 - 2.30 Contact Beryl Gurteen SHEERING VILLAGE HALL 07881557746 Thursday 21 Sheering School term ends 7.30 4 Dog Waste Bins The Parish Council provide 8 Letters dog bins around Sheering and Lower Sheering which cost
nearly £600 a year to be emptied. Dear Sheering News Readers Please ensure dog owners use Thank you to everyone who came to the carol them! night at the pub on Monday 21st December. It was a great night led by St Mary’s Brass Essex Police Online Services and everyone has commented how good they were. The turnout from people in the village Essex Police have a new was really good and we managed to raise website page called Online £98.68 selling song sheets and £57.60 Service. This covers noise selling chestnuts which we rounded up so nuisance, street lighting, pot managed to raise £160 for the church. holes and road repairs, abandoned vehicles. There are also links to We just wanted to thank everyone for coming the following - Ask the Police, and helping to raise the money. Crimestoppers, Action Fraud and True With Regards Vision - Select the following link for further The Cock Inn Hotel details - http://www.essex.police.uk/ The Street Sheering contact_us.aspx 01279 734229 Bishop’s Stortford & District Footpaths Association Walks Dear Ladies and Gents, A member of Neighbourhood Watch who is a www.walksaroundstortford.org.uk first responder recently commented that before you need to call an ambulance you should think how easy it is that they could find your house, especially in Your more rural locations. Friendly Is there a clear Name or Number on your fence or Local wall? He commented that there is little point in placing a number or name on the house if Electrician it is far off of the road and dark, as it cannot be seen at night. He also suggests that if you should need to Sockets to Full rewire call an ambulance you should turn on all of the house lights to stand out, and if at all Electrical tes ng possible station someone outside with a torch, vital seconds can be lost while an ambulance or first responders drive around & cer ficates
looking for you. Good advice Fault finding Stay safe & maintenance Regards Tracey Fully qualified NHW for Matching & EFDNHW
. Call Mark on . 07785 221004 Or 01371 876552 5
Dear Resident of Sheering will be made with the consent of MPs who EU Referendum represent those parts of the country. The Prime Minister has kept the As the Scottish Parliament gets new powers, Conservatives’ election manifesto promise of it is only right to give a fair deal to the holding an in/out EU referendum. This is not people of England too. It could not be a vote for Parliament, it is a vote for the justified to have Scottish MPs sitting at people and everyone’s vote is equal. I Westminster voting on budgets and laws that encourage all residents to have their say in only apply to English voters without the the future of our country by voting in the consent of English MPs. These new changes referendum on Thursday 23 JuneJune. I trust the put this right. people of Britain to make the best decision Fuel Prices for our country. I am continuing to work hard for residents English Votes for English Laws on the cost of fuel. By the end of 2015-16, Changes that have now come in to effect fuel duty will have been frozen for 5 years, ensure that decisions which only affect which is the longest price freeze for more England (and Wales), and are devolved than two decades. Last week, I had a meeting elsewhere, can only be made with the with the Petrol Retailers Association to agreement of the majority of English (and discuss this. The average motorist will be Welsh) MPs. saving £9 every time they fill their car The new procedure will ensure that new laws because of the Government’s fuel duty affecting the whole of the UK are made with freeze. the agreement of the whole House of Very best wishes Commons, but that English (and Welsh) laws Robert 6
It is not clear where this school was held. was the school mistress ( Post Office Possibly it was held in some part of the village Directory). church. In some churches graffiti and Whoever was the school mistress at this time, damaged monuments bear witness to the fact she almost certainly would have used the that they were used to provide education by monitorial system in her school. By the the vicar or parish clerk. The first mistress is monitorial system, which was very fashionable believed to be Melinda Small. in the early 19th Century, the mistress would Our knowledge of Sheering School for the first instruct older and more able pupils, who in sixty years of its existence is inevitably turn passed on their lesson to younger sketchy. In 1818 a school of 16 girls was scholars. The use of the monitorial system being maintained by Tutte’s gift and tackled the problems of cost, child numbers subscriptions. The mistress received a salary and lack of teachers. Its weakness lay in the of £10 per annum. By 1827 it was a National use of child teachers who were often little Day and Sunday School with 15 boys and 35 more than infants without training. girls. By 1833 of 45 pupils who were receiving Our real knowledge of Sheering School dates their instruction without payment, 30 were from 3rd February 1879, when the first school girls, more than 12 of whom were nominated log book was written. Log Books were meant by the rector. The mistress received a salary to be kept from 1863 onwards. The first entry of £20 per annum, mostly through voluntary was made by Miss Melinda Smith who had contributions, and was also allowed a room to become Mistress on 1st January of that year. live in. In 1848 the school mistress was Abigail Press (White’s Directory ). In 1851 a It is intended that articles, relating to the new school, the front of the present building, history of the school and based on the School was built in The Street for 54 children, Log Books, will be published in future editions probably aged between 5 and 14 years old. In of the “ Sheering News .” 1863 the School Mistress was Agnes Langley Philip Hays (Headteacher:1982-2009) (White’s Directory). The school was enlarged in 1874 with a school house and outside Any reminiscences about school life would be conveniences. At that time Miss Mary Peachey welcomed. [email protected]
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