Schools - Lynne Cleaver History

By 1870 the Collegiate school was headed by John Welsh Keiller, and situated on Long Street. In 1871 there were 43 boarding pupils and schoolmasters John Mackie, Samuel Henry Crew and Gustave Palin, from France.  Six servants were in residence, from cook to parlour maid.

In 1875 the house next door, came up for sale and Mr Keiller bought it, and boarded the pupils there.

In 1881 there were 13 pupils boarded, and four servants in residence.  There was an Assistant master, who taught French, (Gastin Hirve), and a music master (F.D.Baxter). Keiller died in 1885 and Mrs Keiller put the school up for sale.

The 1891 census shows George Marshall Atkins, his wife and four children, along with one pupil, one governess and one servant. The advert below dates from 1896.

The Tetbury Advertiser, January 1900, said that it offered 'modern education at moderate cost' in 'one of the healthiest positions in the Cotswolds.

Gloucestershire Archives

D587

Title Clark and Smith of Tetbury, solicitors

Date 1374-1886

J W Keiller: Tetbury Collegiate School log book 1873-1884

Plumbe family of Ablington Manor Farm, Bibury ...School reports, Tetbury Collegiate School ...

Tetbury Grammar School was founded by the legacy of Sir William Romney in 1610, of £13 to be paid annually to a schoolmaster.

A contract was drawn up on 3 February 1689 between Charles Savage, Francis Savage, Giles Stedman, John Thomas Snr, ffeoffees and Christopher Hanley as the new school master.  He had been educated at Oxford University and was to be paid the sum of £20 per annum, paid quarterly.  He was to give notice of three months if wishing to leave.

Reverend Rice Jones of Harescombe,  GLS was appointed on 29 August 1717, and in 1721 Reverend Henry Wightwick was appointed at a salary of £30.  He had a house provided but spent the 12 years between 1746 and 1758 with no salary.  The building fell into disrepair and Wightwick taught the children at his house.  As well as the charity boys he taught private boarding pupils.

The School declined toward the end of the 18th century and was eventually discontinued, mainly owing to lack of money to provide the master's salary.  

Gloucestershire Archives

D 566/R/5/1  - date: 1721-1829  Miscellaneous papers, including agreement for increasing the schoolmaster's salary, 1721; copy of petition of the schoolmaster, the Rev. Henry Wightwick, for redress for non-payment of salary, c.1759, with case and opinion; correspondence on proposed alteration to a National School, 1828-29.

D 566/R/5/5  - date: 1737-1738  Receipts for payment for teaching at the Grammar School and for one year's Charity Money

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Gloucester Notes & Queries vol 1; no cccxviii

The constitutions & ordinances of Tetbury Grammar School 1623

Taken from article dated 8 April 1623;  School attended by Philip Bisse, D.D, Bishop of Hereford, Joseph Trapp, D.D., of Oxford, & John Oldham, the poet.

Constitutions & ordinances made and appointed for ye school of Tetbury, to be required by ye Thirteen, and observed by ye schoolmaster that shall always supply the same.

1 First, it is ordained that the schoolmaster shall be chosen by common consent of the 13 and that no one person whatsoever shall oversway the same.

2 That none shall be thereunto chosen except he be a master or bachelor of Arts at the least in one of the Universities and be approved of for his sufficiency by two preachers that have skill to examine him and to which two preacher he shall be accountable and the thirteen by them to be satisfied as also to approve himself afterwards by an honest and sober life and conversation befitting his calling.

3 It is ordained that ye schoolmaster shall receive into the school and not refuse any of the children that are of the borough of Tetbury, being first able to read the Bible in English in any good sort.

4 That he shall being required teach the children to read cypher and cast accompts or procure one that shall do it under him whereby they shall be fitted for apprentices

5 That he shall teach the Latin tongue by the use of Lettie's grammar and such ordinary books as are most approved in schools and in like manner for the Greek, by such grammars and authors as are most usual and not by any quaint strange or new devices of his own.

6 That he shall not read unto the scholars any of the obscene odes, satyrs or epigrams of Jevenal, Martial or Horace, or any other but pass them over choosing the best in the same authors and in others; and that he shall not at all read in the school Ovid de art amandi nor [illegible in script] but utterly omit.

7 That he shall every Saturday cathechize the schollers in the ground of the religion now taught and maintained in the Church of England, and out of some approved catechism, acquainting them with the scriptures withall.

8 That he shall cause the prayer now used every morning to be continued by the schollers, with the reading a chapter in course, and shall not suffer swearing cursing or any other rudeness among them to his best endeavour.

9 That none unless he hath been an inhabitant in the burrough of Tetbury, by the space of three years at the least shall have any benefit or privilege by the school with out leave first had and obtained for the same by the 13 or the greatest part.

10 That the schoolmaster shall be constantly resident, nor take upon him any cure out of the town, and shall bring with him to Church all his schollers causing 'em to write sermons and to behave themselves quietly and reverently during the time of divine service, and to give an accompt of their profitting to him and he shall bestow some time in the school every Lords day in exercising them in religious duties, that our youth may learn to know and fear the Lord.

THE CHIPPING

A/

1852 boarding: Sarah & Selina Brown, Chipping

1859 Ladies Boarding School: Selina Brown, Chipping

Selina Brown was living on Church Street, Tetbury by 1841.  By 1851 she was working with sisters Mary and Sarah as governesses at their school on The Chipping.  They had 14 pupils [7 of which were nephews/nieces] and two house servants.  The sisters were born in Swadlincote, DBY in the early 1800s, daughters of a farmer.  In 1861 only Selina is left running the school with one assistant, her niece, and just six pupils. By 1871 she had moved to Swindon, WIL where she was housekeeper to her brother, William.  She died in 1873.

B/

1863 Ladies Boarding School: Jane Robinson, Chipping

By 1881 she had moved to Paignton, DEV where she was teaching at a private school.

C/

1870 Ladies School: Madame Villard, Chipping

1876 Ladies Boarding & Day School: Madame Louise Cecile Villard, Chipping

D/

1820 Ladies Boarding School: Isabella Spencer

1822 Ladies Boarding School: Isabella Spencer, Chipping

1830 Ladies Boarding School: Isabella Spencer

1842 Ladies Boarding School: Isabella Spencer

1852 Ladies Boarding School: Isabella Spencer, Long Street

1859 Ladies Boarding School: Isabella Spencer, Long Street

1863 Ladies Boarding School: Isabella Spencer, Long Street

1870 Ladies Boarding School: Isabella Spencer, Chipping

1885 Ladies Boarding School: Emma Spencer, Chipping

Isabella Spencer was born c1792 in Bath, SOM; nieces Emma & Sarah Spencer

In 1841 she had an apprentice Elizabeth Spencer aged 15, an assistant Mary Laurence and 5 pupils at the school situated on Long Street.  There was also a domestic servant.  In 1851 there were 2  assistants and 3 pupils. In 1860 the property on Long Street was owned by Thomas Lewis.  In 1861 a teacher of music and 4 pupils plus a cook/housemaid were resident. In 1871 niece Emma Spencer was assistant Governess, and 3 pupils and 1 servant were resident and the school was on The Chipping. By 1881 Isabella had died [1876] and the school on The Chipping was run by Emma, who had pupil Florence Spencer, her cousin living with her.  No other pupils are listed. In 1891 Emma, living on The Chipping, is listed as a School teacher but again there are no boarders.  Cousin Florence Spencer is now her assistant teacher and living with her

Emma died in 1895 and Florence married Pearl Life Assurance Agent George R Taylor later that year.

1837  National School opened

1847  Infants School supported by subscriptions and pence was held in association with National School; attendance totals 279.

1849  Schoolroom for infants added

1851  Girls and Infants school established.

1862  Teachers houses built

1885  school attendance averages 400

1894  school attendance averages 500

1912  school attendance averages 380

1936  school attendance averages 321

1952  Mixed junior school formed

1968  Junior school moved to St Marys Road, Tetbury

1992  Infant and Junior Schools merged to form St Marys Primary School

TEACHERS:

1870 National school John Masters   schoolmaster

1870 National school Jane Robinson schoolmistress

1870 National school Madeline Fisher infants teacher

1876 National school Jane Robinson schoolmistress, Knapp

1876 National school Mrs Masters infants teacher, Knapp

1885 National school Alice Ruth Ratcliffe  infants teacher

1885 National school Edwin John Dance schoolmaster

1885 National school Emma V Dance schoolmistress

1897 National school Edwin John Dance schoolmaster

1897 National school Emma V Dance infants teacher

Gloucestershire Archives:

D566 R5/3 CHARITY SCHOOL List of Charity School 9/1837

   [from Administrative History]  St Mary's C. of E. School was founded in 1836 as a Boys' School and enlarged in 1851 with the establishment of Girls' and Infants' Schools. The Junior Mixed School, formed in 1952, moved to a new site in 1968. The Infant and Junior Schools amalgamated to form the Primary School in 1992. The separate schools appear to have shared a single governing body.

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