The Old School 1800s

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School land on Enclosure Map 1820

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Photo of school pupils and teachers 1895

The National School

The school on Glinton Road was built on land which was identified on the Enclosure Map in 1820 as Glebe. This land was owned by the church and rented out to raise funds for the church or to support the parish priest.

Vestry meetings ¹

14th October 1855 it was agreed that any ‘the surplus in hand together with the income, after necessary expenses for repairs, arising from the parish estates should in future be appropriated to the building and endowing of a school’.
10 Feb 1856 ‘to ascertain the quantity of material required for the erection of the proposed school and to arrange for the carting of the same and also to determine upon certain proposed plans for the said school’. ‘it was agreed to accept the estimate sent in by W Crowson’.
15 March 1856, ‘It was determined the contract for the roof of the parish school be given to Mr Martin if his references were satisfactory’.
12 April 1856, ‘It was agreed to accept the tenders of Mr Mallin (sic) and W Crowson for the house attached to the Parish School’.²

Advert for TENDER works

An advertisement placed in the Stamford Mercury on the 29 February 1856 read –
‘To CARPENTERS and others
The Advertisers are ready to receive TENDERS
for the ROOF and other WOOD-WORK for HELP-
STONE SCHOOL.- The plans may be seen at the Vicarage
Helpstone on March 4th, 5th and 6th, from 11-3.
Helpstone Feb. 26th, 1856.’ ³

School bell

A receipt for the purchase of a school bell is held at Northampton Records Office.
‘Market Deeping
Oct-26 1858
Received the Sum of Five
Pounds on acct of Helpstone
School Bell delivered.
J A Wyles’

Inspectors Report

In the Lincolnshire Chronicle – 3 March 1865
HELPSTON. On Thursday, the 9th ult., her
Majesty’s Inspector of Schools, the Rev. W F Tregarthen,
visited the Helpston school, when upwards of 100 children
were present for examination. 99 percent passed in all
subjects. The official report was “This is a good school.
Whatever is done is done well”.⁴

School Governing Board

In a newspaper report from the Peterborough Express on 25 April 1895 – it was reported ⁵
‘HELPSTONE.
SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION
The election for five members of the School
Board took place on Friday, and resulted as
Pearce 127
Snow 121
Durham 90
Franks 84
Towgood 80
Woodward 39
Shorten 26′

Teachers on the Census returns ⁶

• 1861 Census – John Nicholls age 26 born at Tresco in the Scilly Isles, occupation Schoolmaster and William Edwards age 15, boarding at the School house recorded as a Pupil Teacher
• 1871 Census – John Nicholls – recorded as Schoolmaster
• 1881 Census – John Nicholls – recorded as Schoolmaster, draper and sub postmaster and Lucia Frank aged 19 living at a separate address on ‘Station Road’ (Glinton Road) – recorded as School Mistress assistant
• 1891 Census – Robert W Lake age 32, born in Washington, Durham – recorded as Schoolmaster, Emily Marshall boarding at 57 ‘High Street’ (West Street) – recorded as National School Mistress and Edith Wood age 14, No 2 Station Road – recorded as Monitress National School

Sources
1 A ‘vestry’ was a committee set up by the parish church to administer the income and expenditure raised from the parish ratepayers
2 Researched from Vestry records – now held at Northampton Records Office ref 163p/74
3, 4 and 5 With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive.
6 Helpston census records – Ancestry.co.uk