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Education did not become compulsory, until after the 1871 Education Act.
By that time, Winteringham already had its ‘National School.’ (National referred to the “National Society for the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church.”)
But it was far from being the first school in Winteringham. There must have
been Dames Schools in existence from time to time. A Dames School could be held in the kitchen of a normal house with just a handful of pupils in attendance, all supervised by the ‘Dame.’ In such
circumstances, their quality could and did vary greatly.
The richer families often educated their children at home, employing a governess,
in the nineteenth century, perhaps sending them away to school as they became older.
There was a school house in the village, which was leased to Edward Clarvis, who as
well as being schoolmaster, was also parish clerk, shopkeeper, farmer and Mayor! Before him were Henry Kellingley, 1581-1585, and Thomas Hill (who died in 1644).
There were private schools in Winteringham in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries. Here is the text from an advert placed by Edward England in the Stamford Mercury 17th June 1808
MATHEMATICAL SCHOOL,
WINTERINGHAM, Lincolnshire.
E. England begs leave to acquaint his
friends and the public that he receives a limited number of pupils under his care, who are boarded at the rate of fourteen guineas, and carefully instructed in English Grammar, Penmanship and a regular course of
Mathematics, both in theory and practice; together with History, Geography, the use of Globes, the use and construction of maps and charts, the method of Drawing in Perspective, etc. — The pupils are also
occasionally exercised in measuring and parting off land, measuring the Heights and Distances of inaccessible objects —
Those designed for a sea-faring life are shown how to adjust and to take Observations
with Hadley's and Davis's Quadrants, as well as regularly exercised in the various compendiums for determining the Latitudes by double altitudes of the Sun, and the Longitude by lunar observations etc. etc. Terms of
Education from 5s. to 15s. per quarter; entrance 10s.6d. use of library Is. per quarter.
By 1818, Lorenzo Grainger reported to a Select Committee on the Education of the
poor that Winteringham had three day schools at which between 44 and 59 children were educated by women, and a master educated about 40. A Sunday School was attended by between 80 and 100 pupils.
By 1835, the village had no fewer than 6 day schools, with 54 boys and 50 girls, whose education was paid for by their parents, and there was a Sunday school supported by subscription which was attended by similar numbers.
There remain the bills and posters of the time advertising these schools, but it is
often difficult to establish which buildings were used.  The photo shown here was of a house last lived in by Dick Newbourne and his wife on West
End, ‘Humber View,’ demolished approximately 1962 very shortly after this photograph was taken. The white building on the side of the house was clearly a classroom,
and known as such in the 1950s, though used by Dick as a large storeshed at the time. Could this have been the Academy run by a Mr G C Clarke in the 1820s and 30s for
young gentlemen? It would after all fulfil his claim that the rooms were ‘commodious’ and the school had a ‘commanding view of the Humber.’ In 1830 the school’s advertisement stated,
“Education at G C Clarke’s Academy, Winteringham, Brigg, Lincolnshire, where young gentlemen are genteelly
boarded and carefully instructed in Classical, Mathematical and Commercial Learning, on the Interrogative System.
G C Clarke, sincerely grateful for all favours, informs parents and guardians that his Academy will re-open on 28th July for Board and Instruction in the following branches of Education: viz.
The Latin and Greek Languages, Geography (ancient and modern), History, English, Grammar, Algebra, Arithmetic, Book Keeping, Land Surveying, Gauging, Reading, Writing, etc. etc.
For young gentlemen under 10 years of age, 20 guineas per annum.
Between 10 and 14 years of age, 22 guineas per annum.
Between 14 and 16 years of age, 24 guineas per annum.
Entrance 1 guinea, Washing and Mending 2 guineas.
French (by a Native of France) Entrance 10s 6d. Tuition 4 guineas.
No extra charges, except for books and the use of the Globes”
There are a number of men who are described in the Parish Registers as “Schoolmaster” on the baptism of their
children. These were:
Edward England, 1810;
John Brewer, 1822;
John Walker, 1830, and 1831;
Robert Godfrey
, 1831, whose son was named Robert England Godfrey, suggesting a possible link to Edward England?
Harriet Martin, was married in 1861, and was a school mistress at the time.
William Packer
, 1872, was resident in Winteringham when he married, with the profession of Schoolmaster, perhaps,at the National School.
In 1842 John Walker is listed in White’s Directory as “Schoolmaster” without elaboprating on which type of school he
was the master of. However, the directory states that “there is a National School here.” That indicates that a
National School (not necessarily a building, just a functional school) was operating in the village before the National
School building was erected! NB: John Walker had been listed as a Schoolmaster since at least 1830.
The National School was opened in 1845, close by the Church.
The Reverend T F R Read initiated the school, and in November 1845 he wrote the following letter to parents:
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“Winteringham National School
The above school will be open for the
reception of boys tomorrow morning, November 17th at 9 o’clock. No girls can be accepted until the new schools are fit for use.
All the children who attend the day school
will be expected to attend on Sunday.
No children will be allowed to remain in school unless they have been baptized and christened, or are anxious to be so the first
opportunity.
It is particularly requested that the children will be sent to school punctually at 9 o’clock.
Until the new schools are opened the charges for instruction
will be as follows; namely for the children of the poor 2d a week, and for those of farmers and tradespeople 3d. When more than two attend from one poor family 1d a week
will be charged for the third.
All payments will be payed in advance every Monday morning. Each child will have to pay threepence for coals for the intervening
between now and Christmas.
November 16th 1845
T F R Read, Rector”
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Headteachers of the National School
From the census, parish registers and directories, the following list of masters may be gleaned, with the ‘average
attenadance’ given if available:
1847 Francis Thurlow
1849 Francis Thurlow
1851 Thomas Large
1856
The White’s Directory gives the name “Edmund Burkill” which we believe is an error and should read “Edmund Bickell”.
1861 Edmund Bickell;
having taught at Haworth in Yorks, Mr Bickell apparently knew one of the Bronte sisters; he took over as Winteringham Postmaster after marrying Hercules Barnett’s daughter.
1868 Edwin A Cates
1880 &
1890 Thomas Whitehead. His wife Sarah was also a teacher at the school. 1885 average attendance: 90; 1889 average attendance: 80
1895 the misses Marion and Sabina Marr; average attendance: 70
In 1895, Henry Pilling and his wife had a daughter baptised at Winteringham, and is listed as “Schoolmaster” in the parish registers, and similarly in 1899 Matthew Sowesby.
1901-1909 Henry Thorpe; 1905 average attendance: 81; 1909 average attendance: 81
1913, 1919, 1926 Frederick Talbot Draper; 1913 average attendance 86
The 1856 White’s Directory lists “Edmund Burkill” as the Schoolmaster. This may have been a printing error, with
the name of Edmund Bickell being most likely.
 The Diocesan Board of
Education made several grants to Winteringham National School. The first was in 1846 when it made a grant of £25 (the Board’s maximum grant). A Government building grant of £80 was given in the same year
, followed by a further grant of £50 in 1855, and a third such grant in 1858 of £38. 1
In 1855 a series of questions were asked of schools in the
area. The Rector of Winteringham made the following point in his return: “I should much wish to have a Mistress independent of the Master. As it is, the Master’s wife has a family, and it is
always against her consent that she teaches at all, and so does it inattentively. I believe I should have a much better school if I had a mistress to attend the whole day. The only
obstacle is the want of funds to meet an additional salary.” 1
The Returns also showed that Winteringham National School received £50-13s-0d (£50.65) in subscriptions and
donations, and £29 from ‘school pence’. 1
The 1906 Return of Public Elementary Schools, prepared at the request of the House of Commons, stated that
Winteringham National School was a school for 142 children. In 1902 the roll was 84, and in 1909 81.
The number attending in 1926 was 110.
The site of the current Winteringham School cost £200, and the building a further £5,775. When built it consisted of
3 or 4 classrooms (one could be divided using a screen), 2 cloakroom/washrooms, 1 ground floor storeroom, a first
floor staffroom, storeroom and toilet. Outside were two wooden cycle sheds, three sets of toilets, a store shed and a
coalshed for the fires which heated the classroom directly (and pipes which went round the classroom walls).
The design of the school was a standard one for Lindsey County Council at that time, and similar examples can be
found throughout northern Lincolnshire. Each classroom had a set of glass doors which could open out onto the
veranda - and when they did so effectively the entire ‘wall’ was open to the air. When these schools were built, it was
apparently a regulation that the doors should be open like this for a part of every school day. It is only necessary to add that the designer of these schools had been an Arctic explorer earlier in his career!
The classroom windows above the verandah roof were opened using a geared handle. Inside the classrooms were
reddish-orange glazed brick to about 4 feet, and plastered above that. The blackboards ran most of the inside wall on
one side, and in the 1950s, for Miss Brown to write your name on the board for a misdemeanour was the height of embarrassment, and usually ensured compliance for the remainder of the day, if not week, or month!
A cupboard in the corner always seemed to have an orange box, the size of a small washing-powder box, bearing the
name “Tapwata”. This was paper glue, not unlike early Polycell.
At the same time as building the new school, a house was bought for the Headteacher at a cost of £380.
When the day arrived for the National School to close and the new school to open, the children were walked three
-abreast from the National School to the new school carrying their text books tied up with string.
Mr Draper, who had been Head at the National School, was the first Headteacher, and he was succeeded by Miss
Chipperfield, Miss Wilson, Miss Winder, Miss Brown and Mr Sparks over the next forty years.
Throughout the 1950s the teaching staff was Miss Brown, Miss Malone and Miss Coggan. A fairly regular supply
teacher was Miss Bee. The School secretary was Mrs Lee, the cook Kath Burkill, and the dinner ladies included
Miss Wilson. The school field was cut by three gang mowers towed by Land Rover, it having brought the gang mowers to the site on a trailer each time.
There was a flagpole centred on the line where the playground met the field, but this was broken, and the stump
remained for a considerable time. Boys entered the playground via the gate at the Market Hill end, whilst girls entered via the gate at the Hewde Lane end.
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This photograph of Winteringham National
School, its pupils and All Saints Church is reproduced with the kind permission of North Lincs Council’s Image Archive. The Archive includes many more photographs of Winteringham.
Please click the photograph to go to the Archive
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Winteringham Primary School in 1955-6, photograph © Val Peill
Summer dinner-time activity as the pupils take to the
school field, with one of the trees which never seemed to grow any bigger at the right!
This view of the school shows how the school looked as
built in 1927, complete with verandah. The classrooms from left to right were: Miss Malone’s lower juniors (first three windows on the left), Miss Brown Upper Juniors (next three
windows), and Miss Coggan’s infants room on the right (six windows) which doubled up as the school hall.
The raised windows in the middle of the school were the
staffroom (which also doubled as the medical room), a small window above the stairs, and the storeroom on the right. Beneath those rooms were the girls and boys cloakrooms, and the
cupboard where the ink was kept for the inkwells.
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