r THE STORY OF THREE SCHOOLS Education in Kirkheaton from 1600 I I JOHN M. BROOKE • The Story of Three Schools Education in Kirkheaton from 1600 JOHN M. BROOKE Published by Kirkhe,lon School's Pilrent Teacher Associiltion Printed by 'IIest Riding D-..pllating Co .• n St. Ceorge's SqUilre, HuddersfoeLd. 1'11. CONTENTS FOREWORD Foreword We are indebted to John Srooke for many things during his Preface headship of the school in our village. As he leaves, he has Introduction given us a delightful legacy, in the form of this booklet on the history of Kirkheaton Schools. 1. Kirkheaton Grammar Sc hool. 2. The National Sc hool. I am glad that the Parent Teacher Association has supported 3. The headships of Henry Whiteley and Harrop Mosley. the publication of this fascinating story of the school from its earliest beginnings. Many ex-pupils will read with great inter­ 4. The headship of James Whittell 19 14 ~ 1943. est the anecdotes and stories - many of which occurred within 5. 1947 - 1972. living memory. Others may read it from historical interest, 6. The Infants' School ~ Early Developments. the life of a village school in West Yorkshire over the last four hundred years. I hope above all that the parents of 7. The Infants' School at Fields Rise ~ 1883. present pupils will be able to give their own children a sense 8. Miss Hannah Castle, headteacher 1900 ~ 1935. of the heritage they enjoy. The school they now attend is one 9. The Infants' School ~ 1935 ~ 1972. in which they may have pride, as it is an institution whose direct roots go back to the end of the 16th centur y. 10. The New County School Opens. 11. One School for the Village. I am delighted to be able to write this foreword to the history 12. Appendices. of the Kirkheaton School, founded by one of my predecessors. We thank John Br ooke for r eminding us of the sense of history and continuity that belongs to "our school" up in the v illage. The school emblem. dr.lwn by Miss Wendy Elli. In 1911, I. b.lsed on lhe fr.l9menU of .I n An910- Olnl.h cron rel.llned In Klrkhelton Church. Patrick B. Harris. Kirkheaton Rectory. 30th November 1983. INTRODUCTION PREFACE Education in Kirkheaton has a long tradition, which began when , a grammar school was established around 1600. This was re­ The story of education in Kirkheaton is one of people working placed in 1845 when the National School was opened. This together with a common aim for almost 400 years. It is a building was extended in 1913 and became the C.E. Junior story I have enjoyed writing and researching and I hope that School in 1966. In 1883, the Infants' School building opened at some of this enjoyment is passed on to the reader. For me, Fields Rise, although the school was actually established in the though, it is also a story that I have been lucky enough to b National School building in 1872. part of since the opening of the new County School in 1972. The County Primary, later County First, school opened in 1972 In a book of this nature, it has obviously not been possible 10 to cater for the rapidly increasing population in the villa!e. mention every single event or person connected with the viii· However, by the beginning of the 1980's the birthrate began to age's schools. Nor is it possible, as readers will realise, to fall and the large housing developments had stopped. It was acknowledge individually the assistance given by a large decided, therefore, to close the two C.E. schools in July, 1982 number of people. Many have supplied reminiscences, photogr. whilst at the same time extend the County School by the aphs, documents etc. for which I have been grateful. I public- addition of two c lassrooms. Jy thank them all. The Infants' School building remained open, as an annexe, until However, at the risk of contradiction, I mUSI thank Janice July 1983 when the extensions were completed and all the Mahoney, the school secretary, for deciphering my writing; children could be housed on one site. Terry McAlIister for the cover drawing; Christopher Wood, my former deputy, for the cover layout; lan Mackay, my present deputy, for his encouragement; the school's P.T.A. for then support; the Rector, Bishop Pat Harris, for the loan of origin~IJ documents and Kirklees Education Authority. J.M.B. November, 1983. THE STORY OF THREE SCHOOLS KIRKHEATON FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL The school, built on a site later used for Kirkheaton National , School, appears to have been erected between 1588 and 1619. The most popular date seems to be 1610 and this is the date given in a 191) brochure for a bazaar at the school. The original building, none of which now remains, was built chiefly from the money provided by the Reverend Alexander Stocke, then rector of Kirkheaton, and others to serve as a Free Grammar School for children of the parish. In his will dated 1619 Stocke also requested that monies from the rents received from "lands, closes and premisesll were to be used, "ror ever to and for the maintenance and repairance of one schoole house situate near the Church of Kirkheaton (lately builded there by me and others of the same pariSh) so longe as the sane schoole house shall continue and be used for a schoole house for instructing and bringing up of youth inhab­ • Heing within the Parish of Kirkheaton in good learning. " Stocke requested that if the school did not need any repairs for one or two years the trustees - one of whom was Sir Richard Beaumont - could "give and disperse" of the annual rent for the maintenance and education of "some one or more boy or boyes of the said parish in good learninge." Other early beneficiaries were William Lyley who gave yearly, in his will dated 1685, from rent charged on property in Kirk­ heaton "for ever unto y maister of the free school of Kirk­ heaton y sume of £5 for y teaching 10 poore scholars." In 1714 Miss Frances Beaumont in her will, bequeathed the sum of £ I 00 to be laid out in lands (at Osset) - the rents to be received by the schoolmaster. It is hard to imagine what this early school was like. It was­ n't a grammar school founded on the traditions of, say, Rugby (1567) which also began in Elizabeth I's reign along with anoth­ er 540. Yorkshire was one of ten counties that possessed such schools. These grammar schools, took boys between the ages of 6 and 8 and kept them until they entered Oxford or Camb resident. When the Rev. Sunderland resigned in 1815 there is, ridge at around 16. In 1671 there was a brave attempt by for five years, no record of the academy. However, in 1820 Christopher Wase to ascertain the state of these schools but the Rev. Harrison, who was domestic chaplain to Lord Grant­ after collecting informdlion on 704 he had to abandon his ley, was licensed to Kirkheaton and the boarding school was enquiry because of bishops who were "unwilling to disoblige continued by him until its closure in 1836. Gentlemen who had gott the lands given to these schooles into There were also in many areas Dame schools or Private Day their hands and possessions." schools, again not all of high repute, which charged fees. In Many of the smaller schools were sometimes run by head teach­ towns, charity schools were begun in 1698 by the Society for ers and others of ill repute - not all but some. In the late Promoting Christian Knowledge CS.P.C.K.). They were usually seventeenth century, one Thomas BJyeth was headmaster of the associated with parishes and the masters were to be of 'meek Kirkheaton Grammar School. When licensed by the Archbishop temperament, humble behaviour; to have a good government of of York he promised to Jive a "sober life, be dilligent in hiS themselves and to keep good order.1I By 1760 these schools profession, not addicted to excessive drinking nor a frequenter were educating some 30,000 children. of alehouses." Another contribution to the elementary education of the poor Unfortunately by 1695 Blyeth was an habitual drunkard. It was made by Sunday schools, a movement associated particul­ appears that he was not content with an evening's drink ing, arly with Robert Raikes, a Gloucester newspaper owner. They but continued to drink in several Kirkheaton alehouses for had rapid success and by 1787 were educating 250,000 people. 'several days and nights together'. On many occasions he had These schools were, in a sense, the beginning of popular educa­ been extremely aggressive and abusive and regularly remained tion. drinking untiJ Monday morning after attending Kirkheaton Church "to the shame of the Christian religion and an eVil example to others." The drinking led to absence from school. In May 1690 the school was closed for thirteen weeks. When the boys were 10 school they were "beaten unmercifully". Blyeth was, for exam­ ple, charged with striking Edward Bikliff's son so severely upon the head that it caused him to become deaf 'to this day'. Shortly afterwards Reuben Armitage received such a violent blow from the master that it knocked out a tooth and split his head. It appears also that money from Stocke's will had been going into Blyeth's pocket and the school governors had no option but to ask the Archbishop of York to withdraw his licence to teach which, following a hearing, he did.