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SAFFRON WALDEN HISTORICAL JOURNAL |
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Article
from Saffron Walden Historical Journal No 1 (2001) ‘Establishments
for Young Ladies’: Private Boarding Schools for Females c.1791-1861,
with emphasis on Saffron Walden Ladies’ Schools by
Fiona Bengtsen There were some boarding schools for girls, prior to
this period, in the seventeenth century, but these were few and far
between, and catered primarily for the upper-classes. However, when
restrictions on dissenters keeping a school were removed in 1779, many
private schools sprang up to cater for the needs of those who were not
only dissatisfied with the old-fashioned, grammar schools for their sons,
but also wanted education for their girls. This relaxing of conditions
imposed on school proprietors unfortunately resulted in a lowering of
standards in many cases, but it did mean that hitherto unacceptable
subjects, like study of the English language, could be included in the
curriculum. The early Ladies’ Establishments, or Academies, which were
initially for the daughters of wealthy parents, were soon copied
by the middle-classes, although even these cheaper schools were
still both class and gender-based. They turned out girls who conformed to
the accepted middle-class ideals of womanhood, which was perceived to be
fine ladies. To achieve this they provided mostly accomplishments, like
dancing, music and French, and instilled a superior attitude into their
pupils. The purpose of educating middle-class girls was to ensure that
they attracted a wealthy suitor. It did not equip the girls to provide for
themselves. This would have disastrous consequences by the mid 1800s. The ladies’ boarding schools discussed here, which proliferated
throughout the In the Saffron Walden Census of 1811, there appears
to be a small, girls’ private boarding school in the High Street run by
‘Miss Holton, Schoolmistress’. This very early census, shows 7 females
and 2 female lodgers, or possibly servants, at that address. The location
ties in with the rent books of 1810 which show that a ‘Kent, Holton
& Beard’ paid rental on 37 High Street. Throughout the period from
1811 to 1861/3 there appears to have been a ladies’ boarding school
located in the High Street, with only occasional breaks in continuity.
Whether this school was located in the same building, or not, is open to
speculation. Even if there was a male ‘head of household’, most female
schools were operated by women only. Generally, girls 11-15 were boarded
together in convent-like conditions in an entirely female household, to
keep them chaste for marriage. Contemporary critics of these boarding
schools regarded them as incompetent and ephemeral.
Undoubtedly, some schools deserved this description, but many have
proved to be extremely long-lived, although the standard of education they
offered is often unknown. By 1823 two private schools are listed in Pigot’s Directory for
Saffron Walden. ‘Miss Houlton’ (sic), still operated from the High
Street, and had been joined by Miss Spicer, in Church Street. According to
the Chelmsford Chronicle of 1836, the Misses Mark succeeded Miss
Spicer at Church Street, and advised that they hoped, ‘by the most
unremitting attention to the education, morals, health and general comfort
of those pupils entrusted to their care….. to reopen on 19th
January’. It must be remembered that these schools were private
enterprises and when necessary were sold as businesses. The ‘Misses
Mark’, were Anne and Jane Mark who were still running the school in
1838, according to White’s Directory.
At this time the High Street school was operated by Susannah
Harris. Six other schoolmistresses are shown, but it is not stated whether
the other schools listed were ladies’ boarding or day schools. These
early trade directories are useful for research purposes, but are not
infallible. Entries were frequently copied from previous editions without
investigation, but the most important factor was monetary. No payment, no
entry. Schools may have existed, but could not always afford the entry fee
to advertise. The 1841 census throws a little more light on these Saffron Walden
schools. Susannah Harris is
shown as 35 years old, and unmarried, but has no pupils living in, even
though she is listed as a boarding and day school in 1838.
Frances Archer, aged 25 years, and her sister Catherine, aged 15,
have started a small school in Almshouse Lane and have three pupils, two
aged 10 and one aged 5. However, the 1851 census gives more detail on the
composition of the schools. Catherine Taylor, aged 26, in Church Street,
has 9 female pupils, aged 6 to 15. These children had been baptised in
Essex, Cambridge and Suffolk. By using nominal record linkage, it would
appear that most of the girls came from farming families within the
immediate area. Two pupils, Fanny Symonds, and Sarah, her sister or possibly
cousin, come from a large family in Balsham, Cambridge where their father,
John, is listed as ‘Farmer of Dottrel Hall.’ Middle-class farmers’
daughters accounted for the majority
of pupils at country boarding schools. According to Hobsbawn, the widest definition of ‘middle-class’ during this
period was, ‘those who kept domestic servants.’ As these children’s
families would have had access to horse-drawn carriages, transport may not
have been the problem that it was for many other girls attending boarding
school. Often the success of a school was dependent upon it being situated
close to a coaching route, or turnpike, as it was deemed unseemly for
ladies to ride astride a horse, and riding side-saddle was for exercise
purposes. The 1861 census is even more revealing. It shows Harriet Leonard as
'Head of Household,'
aged 32 years and unmarried. She calls herself 'Principal of Ladies'
Establishment' and stems from Sible Hedingham. Her sister Julia, also
unmarried and 30 years old, lives with her, as does her mother, Mercy
Leonard, a widow aged 64 years. It was common for private schools to
employ members of the principal's family to supplement either the
teaching, or serving staff. Many of these women would have been
unemployable if they had not been occupied by their family. The school
employs three live-in governesses; one from France and one from Guernsey,
which suggests that French was taught, and one from London. The teachers
ages range from 21 to 40 years, and all are unmarried. There are eleven
girls living in aged 11 to 16, baptised in London, Essex, Hertfordshire
and Cambridgeshire. The catchment area is thus about an 8 miles radius
from Saffron Walden. Although
two children were baptised in London, it is not certain that they were
still living there. It will be noted that all the women of marriageable
age in this school are single. This is a significant fact. By 1850 the gap
between males and females in the population was widening, and it became
apparent that not every woman would marry. The dilemma for middle-class
females was that it was socially unacceptable for them to earn their keep,
but economic circumstances demanded it. As teaching was seen as an
extension of child-rearing this was one of the more acceptable occupations
open to women. These women teachers were totally untrained. Either their
skills were gleaned from parents and relatives, or even a governess if
they had been educated at home, but in any case their poor teaching merely
perpetuated inadequate instruction to the next generation of potential
teachers. It needed a radical change in social attitude to break the
cycle. The 1845 Parliamentary Returns for Saffron Walden, refer to a school on
the Common run by ‘Elizabeth & Henrietta Miller at The Priory.’
This large, Elizabethan building, facing Walden Common, had two storeys plus attics, cellar and garden, which would have
been ideal accommodation for boarding and teaching girls. An undated
prospectus exists for The Priory, conducted by Miss Erswell, which
describes the school as, an ‘Establishment for Young Ladies who will
receive a superior and thorough education.’ No indication is given of
the basic subjects taught, although Miss Erswell’s school was still
operating in 1908, so she may well have taught more than the usual
standard subjects, which were normally only English and Needlework. For
this ‘superior… education’ a charge of 20 guineas per annum is made
for under 10 year-olds, and 24 guineas for over 10 years. Music, French,
Drawing and Laundry cost pupils an extra 3 guineas each; a total of 36
guineas per annum, or 39 guineas if music was given by a Master. Miss
Erswell appears to have waived the one guinea entrance fee which was an
almost universal extra charge for administration. Additional subjects
sometimes taught in these schools were arithmetic, dancing and
occasionally geography. History was almost never taught, although about
1830 it began to appear in advertisements, mostly as an optional extra.
Apart from the use of globes, science does not appear to have featured in
girls’ curricula, largely one suspects because it was considered
unladylike, but also because a shortage existed of school manuals on
scientific subjects. A good income would be required to pay for private, boarding school
education. The Report of the Schools Inquiry Commission in 1868 suggested
that parents would earn between £150 to £600 a year. There appears to be
a high incidence in these schools, of family members being boarded
together. To keep just two
sisters in a boarding school such as the Priory would cost a minimum of 48
guineas per annum, even without essentials like laundry. At the top end of
the scale, including all extras, fees would amount to almost 80 guineas.
This takes no account of other incidentals like cost of a fire in the
room, butter at tea time, writing materials, etc…
Miss Erswell’s girls were requested to bring with them a ‘fork,
spoon, serviettes and towels.’ This was common practice in most schools,
probably to save school owners the expense of provision, but also to teach
the girls social, dining skills, like using a knife and fork in polite
company. Weekly boarders and day pupils were also accepted at the Priory,
so that all requirements were covered. In order to keep their schools
open, the women who ran them needed to maximise their profits by
accommodating all possible permutations. From the 1790s onward, the number of ladies’ boarding schools increased
steadily, and due to the growing number of unattached women throughout the
19th century, there were plenty of females available as both
teachers and pupils. Despite all the criticisms levelled against them,
women teachers did run these schools successfully for many years. Their
secret was that they were supplying a demand. Misguided as it may have
been, these schools delivered the kind of education demanded by their
clients, otherwise they would not have survived as long as they did. SOURCES J.W.
Adamson, A Short History of
Education, (Cambridge, 1992) p.194-6 For further
information see Fiona Bengtsen, An Inquiry into the Private Education
of Females in Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, c. 1791-1861 (unpub.
Thesis, Cambridge University, 1999). A copy can be found in Saffron Walden
Town Library. ©
Fiona Bengtsen & Saffron Walden Historical Society 2001 |
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SAFFRON WALDEN HISTORICAL JOURNAL |