The following snippets from various record sources help to
build a picture of Whittington's school during the 19th and early years of
the 20th century.
White’s Staffordshire 1834
The Free School at Whittington was founded in 1741 by Sarah Neal (spelled
Neach in the Directory), of Lichfield, who endowed it with her house and
croft, in Whittington, now converted into a house and large garden, occupied
by the school master; and a smaller house let for £3 10s per annum, which is
paid to the master, together with the dividends of £288 15s 9d three per
cent consols purchased with £200, left in 1800, by Rev Richard Levett. The
other moiety of the dividend is applied in repairing the schoolhouse and in
providing books and writing materials for the scholars of whom ten are
taught free.
1841 Census
School House – Alice Wilcox, 50, schoolmistress; Eliza Slater, 40,
schoolmistress
1850 Post Office Directory
John Bircher – master of school
White’s Staffordshire 1851
John Bircher – Free School Master
Ann Clark and Ann Meachem – Schoolmistresses
House let for £4 per annum. (Wilcox & Slater shown as living at School)
1860 Post Office Directory
Free School, John Bircher, master
1868 Post Office Directory
SCHOOLS: -
Free, William Barker, master
National, Miss Eleanor Wilcox,
mistress, Miss Caroline Meacham, infants’ mistress
Harrod Directory of Staffordshire 1870
William Barker – Master
Eleanor Willcox – Mistress
Eliza Meacham – Infant’s Mistress
1871 Census
Boys' School - William Barker – married, age 27, School Master, from
Kidderminster, with his wife, Eliza, also age 27 and from Kidderminster.
They had a son, William H, age 5, and a daughter, Mary E, age 3, both
children born in Whittington
Girls' School – Jane E Slater – unmarried, annuitant, age 74?, born
Derbyshire, Doveridge resident with her adopted daughter
Eleanor Willcox – unmarried, school mistress, age 24, born Liverpool
Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1880
SCHOOLS:-
A handsome building for a girls’ & infants’ school was erected by
Lieut.-Col. Dyott in 1864
Boys, Edwin Nixon, master
Girls, Miss Elizabeth King,
mistress; Miss Caroline Meacham, infants’ mistress
1881 Census
School House - Edwin Nixon – widower, Public Elementary School Master (with
2 children and an aunt as housekeeper)
School House – Elizabeth King – unmarried, School Mistress age 29 resident
with unmarried sister aged 18
Caroline Meacham – unmarried, aged 70, infant school mistress
1884 17th December Mrs Dyott promised to contribute £50 per annum for the
rest of her life so as to enable the Trustees to place the Girls and Infants
Schools on the same footing as the Boys School, which for some years had
been maintained by Government Grant, subscriptions, school pence and the
small endowment belonging to the school.
Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1888
SCHOOLS:-
Boys (endowed) founded in 1741 by Mrs Sarah Neal & endowed in 1800 with a
legacy of £200 left by the late Rev. Richard Levett, & invested in £ 3 per
Cent. Consols; the school will hold 85 boys; average attendance, 96; William
Pinder, master
Girls & Infants, built principally by Col. Dyott in 1864, for 106 girls
and infants; average attendance, 100 ; Miss Elizabeth E. Henderson,
mistress ; Miss Eva Mercer, infants’ mistress
1888
Nov 6th Rev W H Kay married; half day holiday
Infants' School Log
1889
Sep 6th - The School has been closed for the week on account of the poor
attendance on Monday morning. Only fifteen children came to School,
the parents keeping their children away from fear of infection.
Sep 9th - The attendances are very low, whooping cough and measles being
prevalent in the village. Morning attendance 21, afternoon 24.
Sep 12th - The attendance this morning is still lower, there being only 17
children present.
Sep 13th - The School was closed this morning by order of the Medical
Officer of Health from Lichfield on account of the epidemic of measles and
whooping cough.
Oct 8th - The School was re-opened today, Tuesday. Only 22 children
were present. I have visited a good many of the families and find that
many children are still unfit to attend.
Oct 31st - The average attendance for the last week in this quarter is 47.6.
Out of the thirteen weeks in the quarter the School has been opened seven
weeks.
1891 Census
Living in School House were George Biggs, Single, Age 28, Certificated
Teacher, born in Foleshill, Warwickshire and Hannah Robinson, Single, Age
23, Certificated Schoolmistress, born in Rolleston, Staffordshire. Both
were head of their household; therefore we presume School House was
separated into separate homes.
1891 Sep 25th Report that attendance had much improved since free education
began
Florence Withers was Headmistress of the Infants' School from May 1893 to
December 1894. The following link is a transcript of all the entries
in the log during these nineteen months.
Florence Withers' Headship
Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1896
SCHOOLS:-
Mixed (endowed) founded in 1741 by Mrs Sarah
Neal & endowed in 1800 with a legacy of £200 left by the late Rev. Richard
Levett, & invested in £ 3 per cent. Consols: the present school was
principally built by the late Col. Dyott in 1864; the school will hold 106
children; average attendance, 96; William Pinder, master
Infants’ to hold 85; average attendance 70 ; Mrs
Emily Pinder, mistress
Parish Council Minutes – March 14 1898
Mr W Pinder (schoolmaster) proposed as Chairman.
Parish Council Minutes Apr 18 1899
There is a resolution that the next meeting of the Council be held in the
“Parish Room” - first reference to the Parish Room.
Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1900
The present school was built principally by the late Colonel Dyott in 1864;
the school will hold 85 children; average attendance 80: William Bernard
Pinder, master
Infants for 105 children; average attendance 98; Mrs Emily Pinder, mistress
1901 Census
Residents of School House:
William B. Pinder aged 37 - Schoolmaster
Emily Pinder, wife, aged 35 – Schoolmistress
William Pinder, son, aged 14 – Pupil teacher
George Pinder, son, aged 11 - Scholar
Parish Council Minutes March 4 1901
Mr Pinder the schoolmaster proposed Mr A Walker (carpenter and joiner) as
Chairman of Parish Council
1901 – computed backwards from 1925 – Walter Bramley joins school.
Infants' School Log
2 August 1901 - Emily Pinder finishes her duties as Infant Mistress.
2 September 1901 - Elizabeth Bramley commenced duties as Headmistress.
She terminated her engagement with the Staffordshire Education Committee as
Headmistress of Whittington Council School on 31 March 1908.
Extracts from Infants' School Log referring to
Pupil Teachers 1901-1906
Infants' School Log
15 April 1902 - Owing to the heavy rain the Registers were not marked in the
afternoon. The children were dismissed early as some of them were wet
through.
Parish Council Minutes Sept 8 1902
Mr W B Pinder resigns the office of Parish Councillor
Infants' School Log
21 September 1903
School inspected without notice. 88 children present out of 108 on the
books. A girl 13 years of age is not a suitable teacher for a class of
37 very young children. The supply of reading books is insufficient.
HM Inspector's last Report should have been copied in the Log Book.
The Memorandum of Agreement of A. M. Wilson does not appear to have been yet
executed, though she has been acting as a P.T. for over a year.
R. Knight
Visit of Inspection 16 October 1903
The management of this school is unsatisfactory in the following
particulars.
1. The staffing is quite inadequate and the babies' class in
particular is not efficiently taught.
2. The indentures of the P.T. are not signed.
3. No coal is available for warming and up to this date no fires have
been lighted. The temperature today is only a little over 57°.
4. The supply of reading books and object lesson apparatus is
insufficient and the progress of the children is hindered thereby.
5. The last Aid Grant and the last report are not entered in the
logbook as the regulations require. It is possible that the report for
the year ending October 31 1902 may not have been received as it is stated
that Form 9 for that year has not yet been sent in.
6. Registers have been tested only twice this year, instead of 4
times, as they should be.
7. Up to Easter 1903 the floor had not been scrubbed for two years.
It was scrubbed then, but not since.
For these and other reasons it is questionable whether the school can be
considered efficient, the inefficiency, if such, being due to defective
management. In any case the immediate attention of the managers is
requested to these matters and the defects complained of should be remedied
as soon as possible.
E. Joad HMI
Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1904
PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Mixed (endowed) founded in 1741 by Mrs Sarah
Neal & endowed in 1800 with a legacy of £200 left by the late Rev. Richard
Levett, & invested in £ 3 per cent. Consols: the present school was
principally built by the late Col. Dyott in 1864; the school will hold 85
children; average attendance, 80; Walter Bramley, master
Infants’ for 105; average attendance 90 ; Mrs
Walter Bramley, mistress
Extract from the Visit of Inspection Report 23 March 1904
Some of the desks are too large and unsuitable for infant use. Dirty
and waste material should not be used for teaching sewing.
E. Joad HMI
School Log
1907 – HM Inspector recommended that unless improvements carried out, school
would be closed. Large holes in the floor of the classroom, desks tied with
bits of rope, no lavatory accommodation in either school, windows were
unsatisfactory and rooms were insufficiently warmed.
1 April 1908 - 22 December 1909
Maria Johnson, nee Brereton, headmistress of Infants' School
14 January 1910 - Miss H Wood took charge temporarily.
1 February 1910 - Linda Booth was temporary headmistress
until the end of July.
Infants' School Log
Extracts from Eleanor Bagnall's entries
1910
Aug 2nd - I, Eleanor Bagnall, took charge of this school
today. 73 children were present.
1911
Mar 24th - School closed this afternoon by order of Graham
Balfours, Esq., on account of epidemic of measles.
Apr 10th - School re-opened today. 36 children present.
Measles in district much worse.
Apr 11th - School closed today, 9 o'clock for epidemic and
Easter holiday by order of the Director
Apr 24th - School re-opened today.
May 24th - Empire Day - The children sang patriotic songs and
saluted the flag in the playground.
Jun 21st - Percentage of attendance for the week 92.7.
School closed this afternoon for the Coronation holiday - one week.
Jul 28th - School closed this afternoon for an attendance
half holiday. (Editor's note: attendance levels of mostly over 90 per cent
had been recorded from May onwards.)
Oct 13th - Mr Felton visited the school on Wednesday morning.
His attention was called to the smoking of the grate in the principal room.
Dec 21st - Mr Mann called today. I called his attention
to the roof raining in.
1912
Jan 18th - Today the snow is from 15 to 18 inches' deep and
the roads are impassable. 8 children only out of 95 presented
themselves. These 8 had wet feet and the Chairman, Col. Seckham,
decided they must be sent home and school closed until Monday.
Eleanor Bagnall resigned "charge of this school" on 31st
August. (Editor's note: she had been absent through illness for the
whole of June.)
Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1912
PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Mixed (endowed) founded in 1741 by Mrs Sarah
Neal & endowed in 1800 with a legacy of £200 left by the late Rev. Richard
Levett, & invested in £ 3 per cent. Consols: the present school was
principally built by the late Col. Dyott in 1864: enlarged in 1910; the
school will hold 105 children; average attendance, 101 ; Walter Bramley,
master
Infants’ for 105; average attendance 84 ; Miss
Ellen Bagnall, mistress
Infants' School Log
Jane E Martin appointed Head Teacher 1st December 1912.
Terminated engagement as Head Teacher in this school 31st May 1926.
Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1916
PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Mixed (endowed) founded in 1741 by Mrs Sarah Neal & endowed in 1900 with a
legacy of £200 left by the late Rev. Richard Levett, & invested in £ 3 per
cent Consols: the present school was principally built by the late Col.
Dyott in 1864: enlarged in 1910; the school will hold 105 children; Walter
Bramley, master
Infants’ for 105; Miss Jane E. Martin, mistress
Infants' School Log
1916
Feb 4th - One child, Eleanor Whelan, suffering from scarlet fever.
Case has been duly reported to the Medical Officer, Dr Tomkys and other
children of same family excluded.
Feb 9th - John Weston (Class I) was knocked down by a motor car during the
dinner hour. He was not run over, but sustained a bruise on forehead
which was attended to. He has not been to school since. Children
are cautioned against going into street and during the recreation time the
gate is always kept shut.
Feb 25th - School open only six times this week owing to severe weather.
Mar 13th - This morning as there was no coal for fires the children were
dismissed for the day by order of E. E. Felton, Esq.
Jun 9th - School closed for 2 weeks for Hay Harvest.
Aug 18th - School closed at end of afternoon session for 2 weeks' holiday
for Corn Harvest.
Aug 14th 1917 - Owing to severe thunderstorm about 1 p.m. only 30 children
presented themselves in afternoon and quite 6 of these were so wet that they
had to take off shoes and stockings and be sent home as soon as storm
ceased.
1918
Sep 27th - School closed at end of afternoon session for three weeks for
potato picking.
Oct 21st - School re-opened. Registers not marked this morning as only
34 children presented themselves. Influenza is prevalent. A note
notifying suspected cases has been sent to Dr Tomkys. School closed by
order of Medical Authority from Oct 21st to Nov 11th 1918.
Nov 11th - School re-opened this morning only 54 children present; number on
registers 76. A half holiday was given this afternoon. (Editor's
note: no mention of Armistice)
Nov 15th - A day's holiday given today.
Nov 22nd - Poor attendance this week owing to severe colds and influenza.
Dec 6th - Attendance poor. Influenza rampant.
Dec 10th - School closed by order of Medical Authority until Jan 6th 1919.
Kelly’s Directory of Staffordshire 1921
PUBLIC ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS
Mixed (endowed), founded
in 1741 by Mrs. Sarah Neal & endowed in 1800 with a legacy of £200 left by
the late Rev. Richard Levett, & invested in £3 per cent. Consols: the
present school was principally built by the late Col. Dyott in 1864;
enlarged in 1910; the school will hold 105 children; Walter Bramley, master
Infants’, for 105; Miss
Jane E. Martin, mistress
1924 Register of Electors
Elizabeth Bramley – The School House
Walter Bramley – The School House
Jane Elizabeth Martin – Church Street
School log
31 March 1925 - Walter Bramley leaves school after 24 years service, having
resigned on 31 December 1924
1st April – Edward Hughes takes over
(1931 electoral roll Edward Hughes living Church Street)
Infants' School Log
1st July 1925 - It is with deep regret that I have to record the death of
our much esteemed Chairman of Managers, Colonel B. T. Seckham which took
place on Monday.
Parish Council Minutes Jul 7 1925
Ref to change of tenancy at the School House, of which the
Parish Room is part. A meeting is to be arranged between the Council and
the Neal Trustees.
Letter from Whittington Parish Council to Rev Cohu dated 18
July 1925
(spelling and punctuation as original)
“Dear Sir,
At the recent meeting of the above Council there was a
discussion in regard to the Councils position in the Parish Room and as it
is noted that there is to be a change of tenancy of the School-house I was
instructed to ask you to arrange a joint meeting of my Council & the Neal
Trustees.
I may say that with the exception of the original trust deed
of 1741 (of which we have a record) my Council has no papers of any
description in regard to the Parish Room but they believe that there are
some papers in existence.
Briefly the facts appear to be as follows;-
About the year 1900 the cottages belonging to the Neal Trust
were in a very bad state of repair & the late Mr.S.L.Seckham undertook to
repair the cottages by converting the two into one and setting the end room
off to be used as a Parish Room, but there does not appear to be any record
as to whether the room was transferred to the Council or not. We therefore
do not know whether we have a right to repair or furnish the room and it is
thought that a joint meeting would clear the position.
If you and your fellow Trustees accept the suggestion I shall
be pleased to arrange the meeting at your convenience.”
The letter is signed by A. Neale, Clerk.
Reply from Dumareq Cohu dated 19 July 1925
“Dear Mr Neale,
In reply to your letter of 18th. July
1925, I beg to state that the deeds relating to the Parish Room are in the
possession of the Trustee of the late Colonel B. Seckham. The lease of the
School-house was made to the late Mr.S.L. Seckham who undertook to put the
house in good order on condition the room known as the parish room was
reserved for the use of the parishioners. When the house had been repaired
the late Colonel Seckham handed it back to the Neal Trustees. The Parish
Council is not mentioned in that document, but no doubt as parishioners
they have the right to use the room. The upkeep of the room rests with
the Neal Trustees who cannot spend their funds on furniture for the room.
If your Council is able to furnish the room with
chairs etc we would be very grateful, but it is for your Council to decide
whether they can spend their money for such a purpose. Whoever uses the
room must pay for the cleaning, lighting & heating, if required.
Those are I think all the facts.
If your Council wishes to meet the Neal Trustees
to discuss anything about the room would you kindly let me know what date
would suit & I will summon the Neal Trustees for that date.”
Parish Council Minutes Jul 29 1925
Rev Cohu and E W Pearce attend as Trustees for the Neal
Trust. It was agreed that the new tenant, Mr W Russell, be paid £2 for
light and attendance.
Infants' School Log
31 March 1926
I, Jane E. Martin, am resigning my post as Head Teacher here.
I sent notice to the Education Committee (3 months) intimating my desire to
be released at end of school year, 31st March 1926, but have been asked by
the Committee to remain until the 31st May, as the Head Teacher appointed
cannot commence duties until the 1st June 1926.
31 May 1926 - Jane E. Martin terminated her engagement as Head Teacher
(Infants), a position she had held since 2 September 1912. She was replaced
by K. W. Partridge, who stayed for less than one year.
Infants' School Log
2 May 1927 - Millicent A Morecroft commenced duties as
Headmistress.
1929 Sep 9th Electric light installed
