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You are here: Home>Towns & Villages>Waterford>Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School

Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School

Waterford School was built after 1855 but before 1859.  It had two rooms, a classroom for infants and a school room for juniors and above (up to 14 years old).  The dimensions of the rooms were:
Classroom: Length 28ft, Breadth 13¼ft, Height 9ft to wall plate.
School Room: Length 38ft, Breadth 18ft, Height to wall plate 12ft.
The wall plate was the part of the building wall where the roof began.

Early Days

According to Isabel Smith, wife of Robert Smith of Goldings, the school was started as a Dame school in the chapel, under Mrs Hannah Skipper, (1813 - 1890), cf. And Such a Name, by Dorothy Abel Smith, ISBN: 1903607469.  She goes on to say that "The children did not get real discipline till the school was placed under the Government with Mrs Ryles (then Miss Cordell) as their mistress in 1870."
Mrs. Smith's memory at least in term of dates seems to have been inaccurate since recorded in the logbook, started on 6th January 1873, Martha Cordell  took charge of the school on that date.  In terms of discipline she was probably more accurate since Miss Cordell writes that the children were "rather noisy".  Further Kelley's Dirctory for 1855 names Miss Emma Hayes as mistress of Waterford School in 1859!  Hannah Skipper was identified as the mistress in the 1862 & 1870 directories.  The directory of 1886 confirms Mrs. Smith's statement that the school was formally held in a chapel.

Closure of the School

The school was transferred from the diocese to East Herts Education Authority control in 1921.  It was still run by a management committee but this now reported to the education committee.  The education committee considered closing the school in August, 1922 but this attempt was successful rebuffed by the managers.
At a managers meeting held at 6pm on Tuesday, 16th November, 1931, in the School room it was agreed by four votes to one that the school should be closed.  Two reasons were given: the small attendance & the National need for economy.  A proposal by Rev. W.G. Davies, the chairman, to close the big school but retain the infant school was defeated by one vote.  The school was closed the following summer.

Mistresses of Waterford C of E School

Martha Cordell was born in 1852 in Ware, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Ann, 31.  She married James Samuel Ryle, aged 36, in 1885 in Bengeo.  They had two children, Geoffrey Eustace (1887) and Winifred Muriel (1890).  Martha continued to be headmistress after she was married until 22nd February, 1916.  She died in April, 1918.
Miss C.H. Smith succeeded Mrs. Ryle. She left the school on 26th July, at the end of the Summer Term in 1918 probably because the County Council would not recognise previous service under a different authority in her scale of pay.
Mrs Mabel Howell took up the post of mistress on 2nd September 1918 and continued until the school was closed at the end of August, 1932.

The Log Books

Below are the entries from the logbook from the earliest still surviving.  They are worth recording since they are very complete including schemes of work initially for object lessons and then later for other subjects.

HALS references  HEd 1/13/1 & HEd 1/13/2

People Mentioned Regularly in the Log Books

Robert Aylton Dunn (26 March 1867 – 1941) Lic. R. Coll. Phys. Lond. 1890; Mem R Coll. Surg. Eng. 1890; MB Bac. Surg.1894; MD 1897 was born in Stevenage. He qualified as a doctor in 1890 and he was a general practitioner in Stevenage until becoming the Medical Officer of Health for East Herts & Essex probably sometime in 1901. He married Eleanor Rutherford who hailed from Scarborough, in May of that year at either Holy Trinity or St. Leonard's Church in Bengeo. They did not have any children.  In 1911 they were living at The Grove, Bengeo and by 1939 when Robert had retired at 15 Bengeo Street.  Robert's father George who hailed from Devon was also a doctor and was a member of the Royal College of Surgeons.

  • Waterford School Bygrave family memories
    Waterford School Bygrave family memories
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1918
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1918
    January, 1918 7th Re-opened school.  Children & staff all present. A new stove with pipes & radiators has been fixed in the main ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1917
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1917
    January, 1917 9th Re-opened school after the holidays. The monitress, E. Sharpe1 absent through illness. 10th             ) E. Sharpe ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1916
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1916
    January, 1916 11th Re-opened School.  Three children absent. The Attendance Officer visited. 19th The District Nurse visited, & inspected each child. 20th The Attendance Officer visited. 21st One child ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1915
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1915
    January, 1915 5th Re-opened school after the holidays.  All children except one present. 6th The Vicar visited. 7th The school was inspected from 9.30 to 12 ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1914
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1914
    January, 1914 6th Re-opened School.  All children present. 7th The School Attendance Officer visited. 12th The School Attendance Officer visited. 13th The Vicar visited in the afternoon. During the ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1913
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1913
    January, 1913 7th Re-opened School.  All children on the books present. 9th The Attendance Officer visited. 10th All the children attended quite regularly during the week, ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1912
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1912
    January, 1912 9th Re-opened school.  All children present. 10th The Vicar visited & taught. “    “               The Vicar visited in the afternoon, accompanied by his ...
  • Deeds of Waterford School House, 1903
    Deeds of Waterford School House, 1903
    Memorandum of Agreement made this ninth day of June One Thousand nine hundred and three between The Honourable Margaret Alice ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1911
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1911
    January, 1911 10th Re-opened school.  One boy in the fifth standard & one girl in the second standard left, having gone to ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1910
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1910
    January, 1910 11th Re-opened school. Two children of one family absent because one is at the Hospital suffering with Scarlet Fever. The school ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1909
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1909
    January, 1909 12th Re-opened school. Two children who are 14 years of age left school to go to work. 13th The Hon. Mrs. R.A. ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1908
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1908
    January, 1908 7th Re-opened school. Attendance small owing to Measles & cold weather. The new teacher Miss Ethel Burgess commenced her duties in ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1907
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1907
    January, 1907 7th Re-opened school.  All children present except one boy. 18th The afternoon session was held from 1.15 to 3.20 instead of the ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1906
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1906
    January, 1906 9th Re-opened school.  All children on Registers present. February, 1906 12th The Rev. H.C. Orpwood visited. Attendance of Infants much less owing to Whooping  ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1905
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1905
    January, 1905 9th Re-opened school.  The Rev. H.C. Orpwood visited.  Four children absent. 10th Admitted three children who are backward in their work. February, 1905 3rd Commenced ...
  • WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1904
    WATERFORD CHURCH OF ENGLAND (MIXED) SCHOOL, 1904
    January, 1904 11th Re-opened school. All the children present except one, who is ill. 20th A boy in Standard I. left this afternoon to ...
  • Vicars of Bengeo and Curates of Waterford
    Vicars of Bengeo and Curates of Waterford
    The parish church of St Michael and All Angels in Waterford was built  in 1872 of Kentish rag-stone in the ...
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1903
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1903
    January, 1903 5th Re-opened school.  The Rev. Dr. Wood visited in the afternoon. 16th A half-holiday given in the afternoon because the schoolroom was ...
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1902
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1902
    2nd May: Dr. Dunn, Medical Officer of Health recommended that the school should be kept closed until May 26th.
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1901
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1901
    18th July: A half-holiday given in the afternoon, as the children had their Annual School-treat at Goldings.
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1900
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1900
    January, 1900 15th School opened. Mistress absent through illness. Registers checked. H. Brown-Gold January – February, 1900 Jan 15th ) School in charge of Miss Hart. ...
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1897
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1897
    22nd July, "Dr. Turner, Medical Officer of Health, visited and said the school could be closed on account of diphtheria."
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1898
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1898
    "The good position which this school has now occupied for so many years continues to be well maintained as regards both discipline and instruction." HMI
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1899
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1899
    "The Religious Instruction continues to receive great care and attention." Diocesan Inspector
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1896
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1896
    January, 1896 6th Re-opened school. Attendance good. February, 1896 4th Miss Jamieson attended Class for Cookery. 7th Several children absent all the week through illness. Two with ...
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1894
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1894
    "The Religious Instruction continues to receive careful attention." Diocesan Inspector
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1893
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1893
    This is a pleasant little school with plenty of life & animation & interest in the Religious Instruction
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1892
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1892
    "This is a thoroughly efficient and satisfactory little school." HMI
  • Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1891
    Waterford Church of England (Mixed) School, 1891
    Class for Cookery inspected by Miss Harrison H.M. Inspectress of Cookery, who expressed great pleasure in the method of teaching and in the children's answering.
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