HistoricaLEIGH - Tales of the Schoolroom

February 5, 2015 by Carole Mulroney

At the foot of Leigh Hill was once a free school which Sir Samuel Moyer, one of Leigh’s famous mariners, founded in 1716 ‘for instructing children in the principles of the Christian religion.’ The school disappeared later that century and the buildings were sold.

On January 1st 1808, Mr Hodge, the Curate of Leigh wrote ‘There are in this place four day schools, of which three are under the direction of females, and have for their object reading and needlework: the fourth is superintended by a man and his wife and extends its instruction to writing and cyphering. In the first of the three former schools there are 14 scholars, in the second, 20, in the third 7; in the last school 15.’

Lady Olivia Sparrow, the Lady of the Manor, founded a school on the north side of what is now the Broadway roughly behind where Tescos stands and Herschell School was the result of Lady Olivia appointing the Rev Ridley Herschell as a missioner to the village in 1835.

Rector, Robert Eden clashed over school policy and the Rector founded a national school in 1847 on Church Hill. As the school was built on a slope there was considerable settlement and the church found it difficult to pay for repairs and the staffing.

In 1884 the Inspector of Schools repeatedly found fault with the state of the floors and the desks and was urging the need for additional classrooms and more help for the teachers.

Eventually due to the state of the school on the Hill, a state school was needed under the National Board and thus North Street school came into being and the school on the Hill closed. North Street was planned as boys and girls schools with an intake of 186 of each.

Although the siting of the school proposed to be in Dobbin’s Field caused some members concern about how far the old town children would have to walk up the hill to school, Mr Millar QC of Leigh House was more concerned that a couple of hundred children would be passing his conservatory and drawing room window 4 times a day and would no doubt damage his property.

He didn’t win and the school building went ahead.

This article is by Carole Mulroney