Description:The Sutherland Papers contain a huge variety of documents relating to education and schooling in Staffordshire. The document above is an extract from an Attendence and Pence register for a school in North Staffordshire which served Trentham and Barlaston during the nineteenth century.
The school was overseen by Schoolmaster J. F. Harris and Schoolmistress Mrs. Twigge. The document lists the names of children at the school and the money they paid to attend there. However, these volumes tell us a great deal more about the school and life in Barlaston during the nineteenth century.
‘Attendances and Pence Account during the time from May 22nd 1843 to May 19th 1849’
The first register runs from 1843 until 1849. The lists of names reveal that in the early 1840s only boys were admitted to the school. The boys ranged in age from five to twelve, with the majority aged between seven and eleven.
Alongside the lists of names are ticks for daily attendance and an account of the money paid by each child to attend the school. When a child was absent from the school ‘a’ for absent or ‘s’ for sick was entered instead of the usual tick. When children were absent from the school for a longer period ‘absent’, ‘sick’ or ‘ill’ was written next to the pupil’s name. ‘Left’ was written next to a child's name when they left the school. John Brannah was absent for two weeks in July 1843, and Joseph Salt was entered as ‘sick’ and ‘ill’ for four weeks between August and September 1843. A significant number of children were absent, either ‘sick’ or ‘ill’ between these two months in 1843.
The register reveals that new children were admitted to the school throughout the year. There are numerous entries stating that children were admitted in April, May and July. Each child paid between 3 and 4d per week to attend the school.
Handwritten annotations underneath the attendance lists indicate that there were regular holidays from school. The accounts for August to September 1843 state that ‘From August 14th to 28th there were holidays which lasted a fortnight’. The Accounts for December to January 1843 state that ‘The Christmas vacation commenced Dec 22nd 1843, and ended Jan[uar]y 8th 1844’.
Click on the image on the left to learn more about schooling in Barlaston.