Victorian Life at Arksey School

 

Arksey Endowed School Log Book 1872-1873

  

The School Log Book 1872-1873

A rare treasure landed in my lap recently, when I was given a few copied pages of a log book kept by school Headmaster, Mr George Chadwick.

From 1862 log books were required to be kept by all schools receiving grants from the State. The books were a record of day-to-day occurrences at the school, ranging from absences, punishments, new lessons introduced, to records of inspections, and while many of the entries seem mundane, they do provide a fascinating insight into daily life at Arksey school.

What follows is a full transcription of all the pages, covering one whole year, between February 1872 and February 1873. Also included are notes from further research carried out, and some scans of the pages.

Contents

• Mr George Chadwick
• School Log Book Entries 1872-1873

Mr George Chadwick

George Chadwick in 1919

On the 1st of October 1865 Sir William R C Cooke, Bart, appointed George Chadwick as the new Schoolmaster at Arksey.

Mr Chadwick was born in Duffield, Derbyshire on the 5th of February 1843. He married Ann Scholey in 1868 and they had four children, three survived as below:

1. Minnie 1870
2. Annie 1874
3. George Herbert 1880

The fourth child could not be traced.

As well as being the Schoolmaster Mr Chadwick was the organist and choirmaster at Arksey church for 34 years. He was also Assistant Overseer for many years and Clerk to the Parish Council from its formation until the Urban District Council superseded it. He was also secretary of the Dole Charities from 1878, and Overseer of the Poor after relinquishing the Assistant Overseer role.

Arksey School in 1895,
 during George Chadwick's time there

Mr Chadwick held the position of Schoolmaster at Arksey until 1902, after which he and Ann moved to 25 Watch House Lane, Bentley. He resigned from the Board of Guardians (Overseer of the Poor) in 1919 after 54 years when he could no longer follow board room discussions. George and Ann celebrated their Golden Wedding in December 1918 died on the 25th of November 1923 at the age of 80. Ann died on the 25th of February 1936 at the age of 87, they are both buried in the Old Cemetery at Arksey. 

George and Ann Chadwick's memorial in Arksey Old Cemetery

School Log Book Entries 1872-1873

Below are the transcribed entries from the log book, along with my added research notes. Missing text has been added in square brackets.

First page of the log book

  

1872

Feb 5 - School examined in religious knowledge by Rev Kennison, the Diocesan Inspector.

Feb 13 - Shove Tuesday - Holiday in the afternoon.

Feb 14 - Instead of taking scripture lessons according to the timetable, children attended service in Parish Church from 11a.m. to11.40.

Feb 21 - Commenced giving lessons on the Geography of Europe.

Feb 27 - John Yates commenced Compound Multiplication (money)

(From the census: John Yates, aged 10 years, was the son of labourer John Yates, and his wife Mary, of Arksey).

Feb 28 - Some boys were A[bsent] from school to put beans in the fields. Punished W. and G. Hattersley for playing truant.

(Children were often kept off school by their parents at important times in the agricultural calendar, either for planting or harvesting).

(From the census: William Hattersley, aged 11, and George Hattersley, aged 7, lived on Finkle Street in Bentley).

Mar 7 - An examination held in the schoolroom by the Science and Art dept. 9 presented in Geometry and 25 in Freehand.

Mar 14 - Explained Short Division to Standard II.

Mar 18 - Rev. W. A. Gray received a communication from

Ed[ucation] Dept. informing him that the Master G Chadwick was placed in the 2nd Division of the Certificate List.

Mar 20 - Lucy Tomlinson left school.

(From the census: Lucy Tomlinson was aged 15 in 1872 and was the granddaughter of Grace Tomlinson, of Arksey).

Mar 26 - Explained Greatest Common Measure to G. Duckitt and K. Hall.

 Apr 1 - Easter week - Holiday.

Apr 8 - Admitted Rose Bolton and re-admitted Mary Walton.

(From the census: Mary Walton, aged 12, was the daughter of labourer, Richard and his wife, Mary Walton, of Arksey. Presumably, Mary was re-admitted after her school fees were paid).

Apr 15 - Admitted Mary Dunstan and John Leadbeater. Told Emma Howarth that unless she attended school more regularly her name would be struck off the roll.

(From the census: Emma Howarth, aged 10 years, was the daughter of labourer, Thomas Howarth and his wife Hannah).

Apr 22 - Commenced using the fourth reading book in the first and second classes. 

Apr 23 - John Trout during play, fell, and broke his collar-bone.

(From the census: John Trout, aged 10 years, was the son of wheelwright John and Susannah Trout of Arksey. He was also the younger brother of James Henry Trout. For more on this family go to The Trout Family).

Apr 30 - Sent John and Catherine Yates home, because their sister had the Small Pox. 

(From the Census: John aged 10, and Catherine, aged 7, were the children of labourer, John Yates and his wife Mary. Their sister suffering from Small Pox would have been 18 year old Elizabeth. Elizabeth did survive the disease and went on to marry and have a family of her own).

May 3 - Examined Standards V and III in Arithmetic on paper. 

('Standards' refer to the level of learning the children had reached).

May 9 - Drilled the boys for 15' [minutes] during play-time.

(Drill lessons were a Victorian term for physical exercise. These formal exercises included marching on the spot, arm swinging, trunk bending and skipping).

May 17 - Dismissed school for the Whitsun vacation. 

May 20 - Whitsun-week-holiday - had the schoolroom whitewashed, and sundry repairs done.

(Whitsuntide is the week following Whitsunday. It falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter in the Christian calendar).

May 27 - School re-opened after Whitsun vacation.

May 31 - C Scholey began to learn weights and measures.

Jun 4 - Average attendance for the day, 46.

Jun 6 - A portion of the school roof gave way during a heavy storm of rain, which caused suspension of lessons for a time.

Jun 10 - A chart of the metric system hung up in the school.

Jun 12 - School broke up for the day at 11a.m. 19 children present - No attendance marked for this day - holiday given at the request of R. C. Workman Esq. on the occasion of Miss Hewitt's marriage.

(Robert Crawshaw Workman was a landowner/farmer from Almholme. Miss Hewitt was probably a niece, as the Hewitts were related to the family).

Jun 18 - School roof repaired. 

Jun 24 - Admitted Arthur and James Hy [Henry] Harrison.

Jul 1 - Gave half holiday - Monday afternoon - Bentley Feast.

(Feast days were a kind of village fete, held annually).

Jul 8 - Commenced the Geography of England with Standards IV and V.

Jul 15 - Many children absent on account of the floods.

Jul 22 - Admitted William Dawson.

(From the census: William Dawson, aged 8, was the son of labourer, James Dawson and his wife Ann, of Arksey).

Jul 24 - Admitted Thos [Thomas] Pogmore. 

Jul 29 - Admitted Mark Machin and Arthur Swann.

Jul 31 - Half-holiday on occasion of Sunday Scholar's Feast.

(The Sunday School Feast was held annually in the grounds of Arksey Hall).

Aug 1 - Taught R. Swann and H. Simpson Compound Addition of money. 

Aug 5 - Arksey Feast - school closed.

Aug 9 - Broke up for the Harvest vacation.

(Children were expected to assist with the harvest, which resulted in high levels of absence during August. The solution was to close schools for one month during this time, which led to the lengthy summer holidays taken by schools to the present day).

 

Sept 9 - Resumed school duties - 22 present.

Sept 10 - Girls joined in the ordinary work as the sewing mistress did not attend.

Sept 17 - The Rev. W. A. Gray gave prizes to the most successful in the scriptural ex[ams] held Feb 5th, and read the report of the Diocesan Inspector therein. The adjoined is a copy of the report.

"I was very much pleased with all the classes but the lowest - in this I think the children need more methodical teaching. If there is not time for the Master himself to give them instruction by themselves, could not a monitor be appointed for the purpose."

Signed

G Wyndham Kennion

Diocesan Inspector. 

Sept 25 - A wet and stormy day - school very low in attendance.

Sept 27 - A holiday - School room used by the Clothing Club. 

(The Clothing Club was probably set up to provide clothing for children, whose families could not afford anything. In the absence of any other community hall, the school would have been commandeered for these purposes).

Oct 1 - Introduced new reading books for Standards III and V.

Oct 4 - Average attendance for week 49, while for corresponding week last year it was 10.

Oct 9 - Taught Reduction of money to S. III. Taught Reduction of weights and measures to S. IV.

Oct 18 - Gave a reading lesson to 1st and 2nd classes, from 2.30 to 3, instead of drawing.    

Oct 25 - Taught Standard IV Reduction of weights and measures.

Nov 1 - Taught two new songs - The Keel Row and The Fisherman's Children.

Nov 8 - Examined Standard I in Arithmetic. Only 5 passed.

Nov 14 - Drilled boys in school during play-time as it was a wet day.

Nov 19 - Very thin school owing to Doncaster Statutes.

(Unable to find out what the Doncaster Statutes were, and why they should affect school attendance). 

Nov 26 - Gave 1st and 2nd classes a reading. Lesson from 2.15 to 3 instead of Arithmetic.

Nov 29 - Mrs Chadwick gave 3rd class a Reading and Dictation lesson.

(Mrs Anne Chadwick was the wife of Schoolmaster George Chadwick).

Dec 5 - Appointed C. Scholey Monitor for one week - gave 3rd class a lesson on the Pelican.

Dec 11 - Altered the timetable for Wednesday afternoon from 1.30 to 3.

Dec 20 - Dismissed school for a fortnight being Xmas vacation.

1873

Jan 6 - Resumed school duties. Many absentees.

Jan 13 - Introduced a set of Murby's Arithmetical test cards and found them too difficult for the children to understand. An improved attendance in the lower classes to-day.

Jan 17 - Received a communication from the Science and Art Dept. asking for returns to be made respecting the drawing examination in March - Resolved not to have the children examined this year. 

Jan 20 - Suspended T. Norcliffe until his school fees are paid up.

(From the census: Tom Norcliffe, aged 6, was the son of agricultural labourer, Lawrence Norcliffe and his wife Eliza, of Arksey). 

Jan 27 - Mary and Sarah Shaw [absent] from school with sore throats.

Jan 30 - Closed the night school for the season - Received notice of the inspection.

(Night schools were conducted for pupils who had reached school leaving age and wished to continue their education after work).

Feb 9 - Read - M. J. Barrington. Ward M. A. 

H. M. Inspector of Schools.

(This records when the school inspector read the log book).
 

Log Book rules 1871

__________

The Log Book - Courtesy of Mr. H Connell.


Alison Vainlo

First written 2014, updated 2020