Preston School viewed from
Crunnells Green Corner 1900c
Preston School 1900c
The “offices” (or toilets) for boys and girls were separate to the main building and even in the twentieth century had to be “slopped out”. Segregation of boys and girls was felt to be important while using the lavatories, so in 1874 it was recommended that “a substantial fence should divide the approaches throughout from the schoolroom to the two sets of offices”. During one hot summer in July 1896 it was noted that the “offices are very offensive”.
As more pupils attended the school, the main school room became inadequate. From 1880 the register recorded between 70 and 90 pupils. The report in 1884 referred to the “cramped space” and in 1890 the “very limited space” was noted.
Later the infants were taught in their own room. In 1881 there was a classroom measuring 10 feet 4 inches by 6 feet 4 1/2 inches. This was referred to as a “small space” in 1892 and work began to enlarge the classroom in the following year. In 1897 it measured 18 feet (5.5m) by 16 feet (4.9m).
Preston Board School, 1873
In 1873, Preston school had a new beginning. Following the Education Act of 1870, instead of being a Charity School, it was regulated by the state and subject to inspections to ensure standards were being maintained.
With a flourish, the secretary (and school manager), Rev Lewis Hensley, wrote in
the opening page of the school log book, “Mar 31 1873, Preston Church of England
School opened under the charge of Miss Mary Jane Hyder -
During the next 28 years the school buildings were modified. Quite soon after the school opened the infants (“babies” aged three or more) were divided from the rest by a curtain which helped concentration.
feet 6 inches (4.4m) to the plate. It had no ceiling and measured 24 feet 6 inches (7.5m) from the floor to the ridge of the roof. Such an area with its large windows would have been difficult to heat in winter, but a stove was provided, for which firewood was fetched and chopped.
The windows in the schoolroom were deliberately sited so that the seated pupils were not distracted by glimpses of the outside world.
No schoolmistresses are recorded at Preston in the censuses of 1851 and 1861 (apart from the governesses at Temple Dinsley and Preston Castle). In 1871 Susannah Hayden (20) from Cambridgeshire was a schoolmistress lodging at Preston Green Post Office.
The Plaiting Schools
As well as the Charity School, Preston had plaiting schools. In 1861, a plait school is recorded to the east of the village. A sketch map of Preston, dated 1884, shows two plaiting schools: Mrs Peters’ school at Preston Green and Mrs Stratton’s school at Church Lane near the Bunyan Chapel.
The Hertfordshire Mercury included a note about plaiting schools:
“Throughout Herts and Beds, plaiting schools are numerous and it is here that
children are taught the art and (ostensibly) the three R’s. The children remain
at school at the usual school hours. Afterwards, during the time when they do
not play, they plait a little till sent to rest. When they are about eight or nine
years of age, they earn 2s -
In her book, “Labouring Life in the Victorian Countryside”, Pamela Horn observed:
“(The child plaiter, usually four years old was sent) to a plait school. This was
often little more than a child minding institution held in a local cottage...
Their sole function was to keep the children working as hard as possible.”
The Charity School, 1849
In 1849, the lord of the manor, Thomas Darton, showed a sense of guardianship and responsibility for the villagers. While his own children enjoyed the services of a personal governess (Eliza Forrester in 1851), apart from the plaiting schools, the local children had no provision for education. Mr Darton financed the construction of a rather austere and plain school building at what is today known as School Lane. This new edifice of education doubled as a church on Sundays from 1850.
The school had two rooms. The main schoolroom was 39 feet 9 inches (12m) long, 20 feet (6m) wide with a height of 14
Education at Preston from
1800 -
The first evidence of education at Preston in the nineteenth century I have found is a reference in a count of the village taken in 1821. Simon Stevens, aged 47, was recorded as a schoolmaster. This was confirmed in 1824 when Simon and Rebecca Stevens’ daughter, Ann, was baptised. The parish register recorded Simon’s occupation as “schoolmaster”.
However, the quality of his instruction may be doubted. In the 1841 census he was noted as a farm worker and in 1851 he was a widower living at Cocks Green, Kings Walden with his labouring son, Charles. It may be inferred from this that probably Simon had been teaching young villagers rather than the children at Temple Dinsley.
Sources: Hitchin parish records; Censuses 1841-
Parliament’s Administrative Memorandum No 48 (1862) introduced the compulsory keeping of a record of the way each school was managed. The Preston school log books offer a precious glimpse of a child’s life in the village from 1873 and are a fascinating primary source of information. They tell us what pupils were taught, how they spent their time and help us to understand their lives.
The log books contain:
The names of teachers and monitors
Lessons taught, songs learnt, poetry recited and timetable details
Attendance figures and reasons for absences
Admissions and leavers
Disciplinary cautions
Illnesses
Annual inspections and reports
Visits of school managers and patrons.
School equipment
Incidents, accidents, holidays and treats.
The web-
In the Preston school log book from 1873-
For those who have relatives who attended Preston school between 1873-
Preston school log book from 1901
Preston school log book
Preston
School
1896