The History of Education in Hanslope

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The Middle Ages

Only boys from rich backgrounds were educated and this was for the Church. The Church had a lot of power and influence and governed the structure and behaviour of society. Towns were built around monasteries and abbeys, whereas villages were built around small priories. In Hanslope there may have been a priory down Park Road between the old vicarage and Ivy Farm. These religious communities cared for the local community; they provided health remedies, looked after the poor, composed music for the church and provided education for the priesthood. One third of the population would have been connected with the church in some way.

Types of Education

Cathedrals, abbeys and monasteries. The clergy were the teachers. Only boys were allowed. These could be boarders or day boys. The books were all hand written in Latin and the education had to be paid for. Bradwell Abbey 1431 "There were some teachable children. Instructed in reading, singing, and elementary branches of knowledge. They ate with the monks."

Grammar Schools. These were in towns and taught Latin.

House of priests or canons in small towns and villages.

Exchange system. Where sons of the gentry would exchange with other noble families to learn knightly chivalric skills.

Villages. The priest would teach in the church.

The Poor. There was no education for the poor. They learned from the pictures and the stained glass windows in the church. The church walls were plastered white and then covered with paintings. Hanslope's church had the plaster removed from the walls in Victorian times. There are still some paintings to be seen at the churches in Lathbury and Broughton.

18th Century onwards.

Big public schools started for boys only. The teachers were still mainly clergy. In the towns the number of grammar schools increased. In villages, charity schools appeared where the patron either built a school or paid for education to be given by the clergy in church property. In Hanslope the charity schools were Lady Pierrepoint 1721, Feoffee Trust and a school built by Squire Watts in 1840.

The dates of some of the schools are approximate as precise dates have not been found at the time of producing this web page.

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The Parochial School

This school was set up by the bequest of Lady Pierrepoint in 1721..

The Vicarage House was the original school room for the Parish School which was part & parcel of the property belonging to Benefice of Hanslope Church. In 1822 the money was on loan at 5% & the interest of £10 was paid to a master for teaching the three R's to 8 boys in the vestry room. With paying scholars there was an average attendance of 25. In 1867 the income was paid for the instruction of some children in the infant school & was annexed in 1908 to the Church End Council School, with an average attendance of 100. The Lady Pierrepoint Charity still exists today and gives grants to students. An advert appeared in Northampton Mercury in 1769 for a School-Master for the Parish School.


Benjamin Hindes Boarding School circa 1761.

Benjamin Hindes was a farmer who gave up farming to open a boarding school. Adverts for his school appeared in the Northampton Mercury in 1761 and 1762. The site of his school may have been at Holiday Lane, as an old map shows the site of a large building at the end of the lane. This location would have been half a mile from the village as stated in his adverts. Holiday Lane was so called as the only time the students were seen was when they came down the lane to go home for holidays.

The Boarding School at Stokes later Howes Manor

The Manor house was built c.1450 by Thomas Stokes, it was on the site where the Watts Arms and Western Drive have been built.


This was a boarding school for boys. Mr. Addison was the headmaster. The school was in existence from pre 1786 (the date of the advertisments) to circa 1800.

Miss Emma Whitbread of Gold Street Hanslope used to record advertisements etc. from local newspapers, especially the Northampton Mercury. Click here to see Emma Whitbread's reports of Mr Addison's adverts and a reply by Mr. T White to his accusations.

Boarding School of Mr T. White

T. White respectfully acquaints friends and the public, that his boarding school will be opened again on Monday the 12th January next, on the usual terms.

T.W. When he considers the disadvantages (Want of Friends and Acquaintances) under which he commenced his school a few years ago, and its present flourishing state, is induced to attribute its rise to his method of educating and treating his pupils. His plan is to form the Man of Business more than the scholar - to conquer that disagreeable monotony contracted by continually reading in classes in the Bible, etc. The pupils are taught to read newspapers, magazines, history, etc, with proper cadence and emphasis, whilst due explanations and a previous knowledge of geography enable them to understand what they read - to avoid that stiff, formal manner acquired by always writing on lines or marks, the pupils are taught to write without; by having letters or advertisements, etc, dictated to them; by which method also, a perfect knowledge of spelling and grammar is attained, as well as freedom and dispatch in writing - the pupils are made perfect in accompts, not too much by being turned back (as it is termed) to go through the rules again, as by practising these rules in examples of business; thus making and casting up book - debts, bills of parcels, etc, after the manner of tradesmen in book - keeping a method is taught of casting up goods by the readiest and shortest way possible - the pupils are also influenced to draw up receipts, promissory notes, drafts, and other articles absolutely necessary to qualify youth, on leaving school to transact business at home or behind a counter.
References will be given to persons of respectability, in town or country, who have sons or wards at school.
Hanslope, near Newport - Pagnell, Bucks, 3-1-1795


Slades Boarding School For Girls circa 1853.

The school was established about 1853 by Agnes A Slade at what was known as Hales Folly Farm. Today it is just called Folly Farm. It was a boarding school for girls. At some time before 1881 the school moved to Stony Stratford and was called York House school.

This is a photograph of Hales Folly Farm circa 1970.

The following census returns show how the school expanded then by 1881 the Slades had left Hales Folly.


Lace Schools

In Hanslope there were lace schools at Lace Cottage in Long Street and another kept by Mrs Homer (nee Millie Stones) in Castlethorpe Road for boys and girls. Starting at 5 years old, although some were introduced to lace by their mothers earlier, they had one hour's reading a day and six or seven hours' lace making. Even then some children had a play pillow, for if they made lace after school hours they could keep the money they earned. In school, children of eleven or twelve could maintain themselves by their work. Click here to visit the Hanslope Lace Web Page.

Top School (also known by various other names - Squire Watts, National, Feoffee and Church End)

Top School Building

The School was built circa 1840 by the Watts family and ran until 1876. The Feoffee Charity opened a school in this building in July 1877 and ran it until 1896 when it handed control over to the Hanslope School Board. The Feoffee Charity is still in existence today giving educational grants to students who live in Hanslope.

Feoffee School Head Teachers.

Miss Margaret Clelland July 1877 ?
Miss Elizabeth Billington ? Died August 1878
Miss Sarah Evans Oct-Dec 1878 Moved to a Liverpool School
Miss Charlotte Woodhead Jan 1897-Nov 1880 Resigned over pay
Miss Alice V Taylor Nov 1880-Sept 1822 ?
Mr John n Rowe Oct 1822-Oct 1887 Resigned over lack of infant teacher
Mr George Henry Grant Oct 1877-June 1892 ?
Mrs Annie Grant Died Jan 1890 Infants & Sewing
Miss Dorothy Flamank Nov 1890-Aug 1891 Infants & Sewing
Mr Walter J Brumbley June 1892-Oct 1896 Seperate infants school established April 1894
Miss Lee April 1894 Infant headmistress

The National School was also started in this building in 1865 for 100 children, which also used income from the Pierrepoint Bequest. The master was Henry Wood.

This is an old photograph of the top school with the master named as Mr Wood.

There was a tragic fire in the school at a party on 19th December 1919.

Today this building is still used for education by pre-school groups.


Bottom School (Board School and today Hanslope Combined School) 1872

A school board of 5 members was formed 20th May 1871. G. Cox was Clerk to the Board; Jacob Feasy of 7 High Street was Attendance Officer. The Board School was built in 1872 for 206 children; average attendance 191.

Bottom School Building

Even in the 19th Century school inspections were carried out. Click here to see the Inspectors' Report for 1883-4.

In August 1969 whilst the old school was being demolished to form the playground for the new school it caught fire and was burnt down. To see a photograph of the school on fire and the new school as it is today click here.

Bottom School Head Teachers.

Joseph Thomas Whitfield

13.01.1873 - 01.10.1875
George H. Pond 08.10.1875 - 13.07.1877
William John Quixley 16.07.1877 - ?
Tracy Higgings (Temp) 14.03.1917 - 31.10.1917
W. Cordingley Barnard 01.11.1917 - 01.04.1943 (Retired)
Arthur Snaith 04.04.1943 - 31.08.1953
Leslie Haynes 05.10.1953 - 31.08.1973
David Kitchener 01.09.1973 - 31.08.1979 (Retired)
David Shepherd 01.09.1979 - 31.08.1987
Philip Jones (Acting) 01.09.1986 - 31. 08.1988
Russell Fancourt 01.09.1988 - Current Headmaster