Durham E-Theses The development of Hedworth Monkton and Jarrow, Stanhope and Thornley school boards from 1870-1904 Morley, W.M. How to cite: Morley, W.M. (1969) The development of Hedworth Monkton and Jarrow, Stanhope and Thornley school boards from 1870-1904, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/7955/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 C(MTMfS Abbsreviationa used in footnotes, Chapter I Pre^School Board Period 1933 - 1870 1 Chapter II 1870 Education Act - Poroation of School Boards 13 Chapter III Establishfflent of School Boards and School Attendance Cossnittees in Durham Counter 28 Chapter 17 Bedwdrthy Monkton and Jarroi? School Board 54 1871 ^ 1904 55 Population and Industxy 58 The First School Board 70 Difficulties of the Second School Beard 75 Further Provision Higber Grade School 94 Rationalisation and Ezperiaent 99 Final Days of the Board 103 Broluation of the Board's AiShievmeiits Chapter 7 109 Stanhope School Board 1874 ^ 1^ 110 Population and Industry 116 Educational Provisi<m in 187Q 121 fhe Fizst Schoisl Board 134 Educational Provisicm in 1877 146 Sii^eguent Developments 153 Evaluation of the Board's Achievments Chapter VI Thornley School Board 1875 - 1904 162 Population and Industry 163 Pre-1875 School Pj^^aion 165 fhe First School Board 168 Benominational Controversy 177 Financial Difficulties 180 Suteequent Developaents 186 Evaluation of the Board's Achiero^ts 189 Chapter ?n Special Froblesia associated wi^ the etrdlution of school hoards under review 1^ School Fees 193 School Att^danoe 203 Teachers* Salaries and Conditions of Service 219 Religious Instruction in Board Schools 236 Chapter VIII The fievelbpment of Evening Schools 247 Chapter IX S^ool Boards in Decline 265 VO^OME n . AppmdieeSj Illustrations and Bibliography ThQ- aim of this thesis is to trace -Qie develosaaent of school boards in three selected district of Durhajn County and to esenine and conaent on the vailous methods used in adaiinistering; and organising elementary education, : Districts viii^x differing geographical features and contrasting socio-economic conditions were chosen for the inquiry and an attempt has been made to evaluate the twrk of the individual boards and compare their activities and achieyensftta. One of the primary functions of a school boaH was to repair deficiencies in public elementary school acconmodation; the narrative relates how this was atteaapted in each .district and considers the effects of local ec«ioiaic circumstances, deaisiainational rivalriee and social eircumstanCQS on the eventual educational provision. Frioary sources of material consulted include school board records and school log boolm accoiainodated in the County Records Office and in private collections* national and local records housed at the Public Records Office, and local newspapers £ind other publications of the period. I am indebted to Bto^ham County Education Cpsmiittee for alloidng me -tiiree mtmths* sabbatioal leave to tindertake sc^e of the research involved, to the staffs of the Public Records Office and the County Records Office for their helpful interest, to all those vbo have allowed me access to records ouiavailable in public collections and especially to Dr. J. Eitching, whose patient criUcisn has been invaluable. P;R;p; - Public Records Office* C;C«Ed; - Costmittee of Council on Education. B. of E« - Board of Education. C. R.O. - County Records Office. All local school board records referred to in l^e footnotes were inspected at the C.R^O. uziless otherwise stated. J.S*6. - Bedworth, Ronkton end JTarrow Sdiool Board. S.S.B. «• Stanhope School Board. T.S.B. - fhoxnl^ School Board. Kins. - Hinutes. Followed by a date (e.g. 2,4.74.) shows that business «as resolved on 2nd April, 1874. TtiQ year abbreviation alvays refers to the 19th Gaatury unless indicated to the contrazy. C B A P ? B R I PRE « SCHOOL BOABD PERIOD 2 Perhaps the three greatest, and often inter-related influences, on the establishoent of a national system of education during the nineteenth century, were the strong denominational issues involved, the financial implications of statutory aid and electoral refona. Although there ixtay be some conjecture over the degree of influence of the 1832 Reform Act on the acceptance of the principle of Government intervention in education, there seems little doubt that the est^ision of the franchise and the re-distribution of Parliamentazy seats had a considerable effect on educational policy. The 1832 Reform Act added 217,000 votes to an electorate of 435.000 and it seems certain that such • an increase, in the order of 49.^, was a potent factor, not only in the political democratization of the countzy, but in its effect on statesmen, cautious though they were in their approaches to the controvei^ial question of elementary education. It seems more than pure coincidence that the 1832 Reform Act immediately preceded the first important landmark in the history of British state education, when, in 1833, the first grants were offered to voluntary organisations to assist in building elementary schools. Caution, occasioned by religious dispute and by economic inhibition, was apparent in the phrasing of the vote, "that a sum, not exceeding £20,000 be granted to His Majesty, to be issued in aid of private subscriptions for the erection of school houses for the education of the poorer classes in Great Britain, to the 31st day of March, 1834".^^^ (1) Parliamentaiy Paper, 178. By the end of 1833 applications for grant had been received in respect of 236 projected schools but no less than 185 of these failed to obtain assistance owing to the exhaustion of the grant of £20,000. Claims for over £24,000 had not been met. 3 Siicilarl^ if m&m more than coincidence i^t the 1870 Education Aet^ which created eleotisd education authorities, should have been preceded ithree years prefioiisly by the 186? Reforaia Act, whichi \^ reducing the county .occupation franchise to a £12 limit and the borough franchise to house- holdei© <^ £6 ratings added 938^000 votes %6 an electwate of 1,057,000 in Sngljaad Md Wales* Whilst the W&itfm Apts plajyed their part in precipitating action, it •^m uMc»ubtediy relieioT:© strife and eccaioiic consideraticfas that mainly conditioned the ptogre^s of elesi^ntszy education pdbovision dusing the nineteenth century.. portion of the Churchi «^ch from the Kiddle Aged, had initiated and fostered educational institutions of ail types, had to be constantly ret*asses$ed duMhg thiis ^tl<^ and its schools^ which had originally combSj^^pjligioiis mdL secular tea^^%, were faced with difficulties and o^^osition from both denoi^Lnational and secular factions* Unf03?tunatelyg^ as ^mtima happens in political arguinent, the objects fhich £tll profess to be asiSisting, are left unaided in the emotive diiscussions in which the^ clouded: so it isas with education, and progress at national level was often retarded by bitter reli^ous aatfi^onisins, The dther liaiting factor towards accelerated progress was undoubt-* edly that of financoc Eigh idesils and a genuine c<aicem for ones fellow men are,; to many, a l^^mw which can be fibWeitcd if taises and rates are to rise in a isanner disproportionate to the benefitis ^lich they feel may accrue ,i (1) From an examination of the work of individual school boards houever* it seems that, at local level, denominational differences often acted as a powerful interest motivator for school board affairs. 4 Bmsi dl&ti^ieta mm beiisviU@d 'by this' ^]^<^hy d'uring aineteesth osatory- th© jPssultiKs parsiiactsy «- for aa' Sfuoh it- vm vieiwd by educatiimi@t3 vasi a contributory reason for the subsequent fluetuatii^ fitaMarda ci'j^rwisioa tha^ Bespit® the^s restrietiag istflueaeeai> a firia-basis for a ^te« of' state aa&iatsd' elssi^ti^ ediiiOati<^ bees est&blishsd t>y the 2)^3 i&ciiiion ^i-it' soon appax^mt. tllat' further'suas- ot mm^ voold need tO' b0 aI3.ocated f^r the moim&i^t t^ffgs^ ^dsicatioAal espaitaion^ Apart free tM imdsquat^ of tlie sua of ^^OX) gxanted in 1833i its distribution^ tfhieli teas €3iQ «<aspcmailjility of feha Traaaaryr proved to be eoatrsveraial.- QrmtB-cmM not be stado towards ereetion of ^ school imlsm half tho coat ^as laet ^i%mtm^ e<mtributio&^ and all applieatioE^ had to be aidjii^Uted through the Satienal Society 03? the BHtish end jforeign Scbool Society? in eMitien tte sow faeaviiy populated diatriots »9r» «^ven prafereiic© in th© all<>o&tioa of ej!«at»*- It soon becsE© obvious that tha . poorer dijstricta were at a diisadvaatage fewaus© cf tlisir issiabiiity to rsl-se thcfia? costributiea and that the R®acoafosaistQ^- f a siedlar r^aso!!,- mi^ umble to coogpete nith th@ sshool buiMiog pro^sims of t)^ BstEbMahed Cto?eh*> In m &ttm^ to mss&Ss' this oitttation, assi uader pr«@;sure from ooafliotieiig <i^(»iinatim^l a;gd political