Reference
AU10/80/2
Title
Letter from Edward Fielder at West Kilburn [Middlesex] to Andrew Underwood:
- he believed Miss Cowper was a teacher at Ampthill Wesleyan School but could not remember whether she ran a private school;
- a man named Ansted was headmaster at the Boys National School in Bedford Street about 1870 "a fine man physically and a noted cricketer" [Walter Henry Anstead, played as fast bowler for Surrey 1870-1872]; only Anstead and a farmer named Fountain had hit a ball over the trees into the Millbrook road from the wicket in the Park;
- one of Anstead's pupils, a market gardener at Maulden, Tom Low was also a fine wicket keeper for Ampthill;
- the writer's third brother was a pupil teacher under Anstead before Anstead became a Government Inspector of Schools;
- the writer's brother Walter entered St.Mark's College for Teachers, Chelsea in 1874 and later became a clergyman; three other Ampthill National School boys went to the college - Rev.C.Billington and men named Stanbridge and Young;
- the writer had seen an HM Inspector's report for Ampthill of about 1860 in which the National School was credited with a good grounding of knowledge in the Bible;
- a sister of the writer attended the National Girls School and became headmistress of two country schools one in Bedfordshire the other in Devon
Date free text
30 May 1956
Production date
From: 1860 To: 1956
Level of description
item