Marston Morteyne School Logbook 1863-1902
Marston Church End School, Class I c.1895-1901 [Z50/142/698]
The following extracts from the first surviving logbook for Marston Moreteyne School give a flavour of life at the school in the 19th century [reference SDMarstonMoretaine4/1]. At the beginning of this log, the school was a mixed National School, but in 1875 it became a Board School.
31 July 1863 Attendance much lower this week – harvest begun generally.
7 August 1863 Harvest vacation of four weeks commences this day.
16 September 1863 I cannot every day find incidents really worthy of being recorded for future reference, so that “ordinary progress” may be taken for granted on those school days for which there is no entry.
21 October 1863 Shocking death of David Goodman, a boy lately in the school, through playing with firearms [shot by Alfred Denton]
6 December 1866 Still very much illness among the School children
7 December 1866 Average for the week 75.1
10 December 1866 No less than 5 Day School children and 2 Sunday school do. [children] have died in the past 6 months
20 July 1869 The Rector agreed to have a well & pump in the play ground
2 August 1869 Two little girls were found taking plums at the Rector While fetching water from the Rectory moat.
23 February 1870 Rev. T. Tylecote came in & spoke of some parents complaining that the school was not warm enough during the late frost
29 September 1882 … Made out the report of the children bounded out by the Hampstead Board of Guardians with bill of fees etc. The children were rather wild after their long holidays, but they have now got into ordinary ways.
20 April 1883 Average for the week 102. Heavy rain on Thursday kept many away. Ralph Roberts and Richard Allen are working half time at Mr Franklin’s brickyard under the Factory Act.
13 July 1883 Admitted Sarah Ann and Mary Odell 9 and 6 years old respectively, who know absolutely nothing although they have attended the workhouse school at Ampthill a short time.
9 July 1890 Taught Infants (Seniors) Simple Addition. They do not seem to make progress. Took Senior Infants in writing from 9-45 to 10-15. No progress here. Heard Object Lesson given and heard the Senior Infants read from 11 to 11-30. Heard poetry repeated from 11-45 to 12…Took Senior Infants in arithmetic (Ball Frame) from 2 10 to 2.30 p.m.Heard Seniors read from 2.30 to 2.45 and showed them the way to write their letters from 2-45 to 3.
20 December 1894 Heard this morning that the two Plants are returning to the workhouse tomorrow morning
29 Jun 1900 During this dinner hour Mrs Caves struck E.B. Hudson twice, also pulled her hair. Wrote to her demanding an apology.