Education

In 1841, although some church schools welcomed girls, most schooling was for boys only.

Girls could train as governesses and well-bred ladies had academies for learning to draw, dance and play the piano, but that was about it. Church schools were there to save souls and ran along monitorial lines: one teacher taught a handful of boys who then taught the younger ones, all in a vast, echoing hall.

This was still better than the old grammar schools, where the curriculum and endowments were prescribed by law and hadn’t changed since Tudor times. Many of these went bust or were reduced to a handful of boys and some started charging fees, a nice little earner that attracted numerous scoundrels (see Nicholas Nickleby - serialised 1838-9).

Other schools opted for Latin, chapel, games and discipline – then popularised at Rugby School by the already legendary Dr Arnold. Arnold transformed the violent debauchery of 18th century public schools into a system of communal living, designed to build Christian ‘character’. It was often just as violent, however.

Those who could not afford public schools could opt for dame schools where children were taught, often in chaotic conditions, in the home of the teacher (usually female). The education that was gained from these establishments was often extremely basic and many of the teachers themselves were poorly educated.

The 1833 Factory Act prohibited the employment of children under nine and ruled that nine to 13-year-olds should attend school for two hours a day. Before then, many working class children were only receiving education at Sunday school because it did not interrupt the working week.

Parents hated losing their children’s wages, but the Anglicans and non-conformists jockeyed to corner the market. Their success was evident when the Whig government donated £30,000 for them to build new schools with.

The government also appointed Britain’s first school inspectors. All four of them!