Reference
AU10/82/3
Title
Letter from Effie Dibb to Andrew Underwood:
Date free text
10 Oct 1956
Production date
From: 1875 To: 1956
Scope and Content
- thanks him for the Ampthill church history booklet and draft history of Ampthill National School, she had passed the latter to her brother Henry for additional comments;
- when she ran the night school some girls attending were older than her, one emigrated to Canada and they still corresponded;
- Henry and Joseph, sons of Henry Stanbridge the farmer were pupil teachers as was C.White, who was later ordained;
- the earliest mistress she could remember of the Girls School were Miss [listed as Mrs.Vincent in Kelly's Directory 1877] Cutmore and Miss Gimbert, the latter marrying the Houghton Conquest schoolmaster;
- Miss Crick succeeded Miss Gimbert and Mrs.Ferraby taught lower standards under Miss Crick "who was young enough to be her daughter";
- Miss Crick was trained at Brighton Training College, she taught Holy Scripture, Needlework, English, Geography, History and Reading, every afternoon was given over to needlework pupils being taught how to make underwear and the older ones baby clothes, only plain work was allowed, crocheting being "considered unsuitable for cottagers";
- annual flower shows were held in Ampthill and Silsoe in alternate years and girls showed needlework at them;
- [John James Tall] Wilmot the Rector went to the school each Friday morning to give a Scripture lesson, he also visited as a School Manager at other times, his successor [John George Scrymsour] Nichol also took a great interest but did not instruct, on chief saints' days children attended a church service instead of having a scripture lesson;
- when fees were abolished Rev.Nichol arranged for money bequeathed to educate poor children to be given as prizes for good attendance;
- in the winter night classes were given - needlework, composition, arithmetic and reading for girls, and the 3 R's for boys; she taught girls classes and got excellent reports from the School Inspector; at one time drawing classes were also held
- Sunday School was held in the Boys School, [Alexander] Pym, a School Manager and later Captain [Cecil Delves] Broughton being Superintendents;
- Miss Windeybank was Infants mistress about 1879, later Miss Stracey, Miss Voysey and Mrs.Fensome; the writer became head of the Infants School after being certified assistant at Fenny Stratford [Buckinghamshire];
- the Infants School had a large wooden gallery the length of the school and the scholars sat on wooden steps for Scripture, object lessons etc.;
- when Kindergarten became general in Infant Schools the lessons became more attractive and sometimes for good conduct pupils were allowed to choose the last lesson on a Friday afternoon invariably play modelling;
- church schools were always handicapped by being poor
Level of description
item