Woolsery Primary School has an almost-complete set of Log Books which record daily life from the opening of the school in 1879 through to the mid 1990's.
In 1970, the then-headmaster, CB Griffiths also wrote a history of the school called, "If these walls could only speak..." which contains photographs and a historical narrative from the first school in Woolsery, which opened in 1850 through to early 1970.
The school also has photograph albums from the 1980's and 1990's which record some special events of the time, together with a draft text on the school's more recent history by former headmaster John Crossman.
All of these sources have been used to build this archive, but we hope that people who have had connections with the school in the past will also be able to contribute to these pages. If you can, please contact the school. We are happy to scan photographs for you! If anyone is able to identify faces in more recent photos, please contact the school and we will endeavour to add details accordingly. Thanks!
We are constantly adding more photos, but this takes time. Please revisit soon if you can't find what you're looking for!
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| pre-1930 | 1930-1940 | 1940-1950 | 1950-1960 | 1960-1970 | 1970-1980 | 1980-1990 | 1990-2000 | 2000- present | |
| 1879-1890 | 1890-1900 | 1900-1910 | 1910-1920 | 1920-1930 | 1930-1940 | 1940-1950 | 1950-1960 | 1960-1970 |
| 1970-1980 | 1980-1990 | 1990-2000 |
1.08.79: Charity Westaway has not been able to attend school this week on account of sickness consequently I have had a severe week’s work the average attendance having been higher this week than at any other and having no one able to assist me. The Geography books having been supplied this week have rendered the teaching of that subject less labourious.
Sept 26th 1879 On Monday the school was resumed after the Harvest Holidays but as the harvest here is not yet half completed a great number of the children are kept home to assist. Many fo the younger children are absent owing to a fatal occurrence of diphtheria taking place in the parish.
December 24th, 1880: Attendance has fallen off again this week – many children absenting themselves on Tuesday to attend the Christmas market at Bideford.
May 7th 1888: I received notice that the Schedule had arrived at the clerk’s office and went to get it as soon as possible. It is the most disappointing one I have ever received. Owing to bad attendance and sickness I did not expect the results to be so satisfactory as those of last year, but if some of the children had tried to do badly, they could hardly have succeeded better.
April 1st 1890: The school year closed yesterday and, on making up the Registers, I find the average attendance to be 52.8. This is the lowest I have had to record and is accounted for by the large amount of sickness prevailing throughout the last half of the year.
23rd January 1891 – I have worked hard at problems with Standard 4 this week, but with little success, except in finding the cost of one article, or of a large number. I have also given special attention to numeration in Stds 2 and 3.
28.9.94 An extra week’s holiday had to be given as the painters and masons had not completed their work.
14th January 1908: An object lesson on sago was given in school today. I was astonished to find that the senior girls were actually ignorant as to how to make a sago pudding.
4.02.08: Today is a very fine day. There were 101 children present in the morning and 103 in the afternoon. Two girls have permission from GRR Routh Esq M.A. (HMI) to attend the laundry class held in the village on Friday afternoons.
15.07.10: The attendance was very poor this week. Several of the boys were away helping with the hay harvest. The weather has been beautifully fine.
January 1911 – “The school did not reopen this morning because of the alterations being unfinished.” (The classroom on the front of the school had been added to accommodate a rising roll – the school didn’t finally re-open until March 14th and even then the new room wasn’t ready- it finally opened on June 1st).
28th February 1912: Two families are excluded from school owing to fresh cases of measles. In all thirteen children are absent because of this epidemic. The coughs are as bad as ever.
29.05.16: In the Parish Room of this village Cookery and Housewifery Lessons are being conducted by Miss South. These start today. Seventeen girls are in attendance from this school. One boy returned to school today, who has been absent more than three months through scarlet fever raging in the house.
20th July 1923: The School dentist, Mr Inder of
December 20th, 1923: The school closed for the customary Christmas Holiday this afternoon (viz 2 weeks). Each children in the school received an orange, a Christmas Card and other presents given by the Teachers. The children seemed delighted with the gifts they received. Needless to say, there was an exceptionally good attendance.
Sept 8th 1924 The school reopened today with a satisfactory attendance. Three children were admitted. These children are very backward in their work. Their Arithmetic is deplorable and they seem unable to do the simplest exercises. Their spelling and writing are also poor.
October 26th, 1927: By means of a saucepan and jug supplied by the managers, the children who stay to dinner were able to obtain warm drinks.
1.09.30 The school reopened today with an attendance of 81, there being 4 absentees. I, Mr Wyndham Sydney Boundy have commenced duties as Headmaster in charge of Group1 with Miss Moase in charge of Group 2 and Miss D Braund unattached supply teacher in charge of the Infants group. A notice has been sent to the County Medical Officer notifying that (…) a pupil is absent suffering from diphtheria. The school premises have been sprayed with disinfectant as a precautionary measure and careful supervision of lavatories, supply of water, etc will be maintained.
(the child in question, aged 8, sadly died just a few days later and is recorded on September 8th along with an older child who also died, having only just left the school aged 14)
18.02.31: During the afternoon session the senior class made an educational visit to the Three Gables Poultry Station, Woolsery, owned by Mr G Lott MPBSA. Mr A Lott gave a most interesting practical lesson on a) Processes of Incubator Hatching, b) Rearing and Feeding of Poultry, c) Poultry Breeding
6th January 1932 – An influenza epidemic and very rough wet weather are the causes of low attendance and percentage of just 45%.
August 31st 1938 The school reopened today after the summer vacation. I, Cyril Benjamin Griffiths, take charge from today. During the vacation two windows were enlarged and a folding partition erected in the school.
13th June 1945: Today was a special day for the parish. At 3pm, the children congregated on the church green (…) There, an oak seat was unveiled and presented by the headmaster, on behalf of the evacuees, to the Woolsery Parish Council.
25th June 1945: The evacuees return this evening, breaking the journey at Bideford for medical examination
April 25th 1940: We closed today at 3:30pm, had a cup of tea in the school, and went to Bideford to the Circus. 40 children (Juniors and Seniors) made up the party. Rev. Lewis, Chairman of Managers, came with us.
1.08.40: School breaks up officially today for five weeks holiday. The school will remain unofficially open for the Holiday War Campaign.
9th August 1944: Sent £9.18.11 to
1948
27.2.48: The school received a visit this afternoon from Mr F W Blackbrun and Mrs Lampard Vachell & Mrs Fulford - representatives of the canteen sub-committee of N.Devon Divisional Executive.
12.4.48: School reopened after Easter Holidays with 62 on books.
19.4.48: Mr Ivor Chilcott started duties today as unqualified assistant, temporary supply.
26.4.48: National half day holiday in honour of the King's Silver Wedding Celebration
21.6.48: Mr H Barritt-Vane came this afternoon to speak to the children on the United States of America where he has just spent a few months. He is giving a prize for the best boys essay amd girls essay on his talk - won by C Dnaiel and C Elliott.
21.7.48: Fetched cupboards, etc. from Buckish St Annes (the school there closed a few days later)
6.9.48: We reopened today with 67 on books. Buckish St Annes children conveyed to Woolsery.
18.10.48: Mr P Colwill commenced duties today as temporary unqualified supply teacher.
17.11.48: Holiday today to celebrate birth of the royal prince.
19.11.48: Accident: Brian Braund travelling home in school conveyance. Turning corner at Clifford Cross, door swung open and he fell out sustaining a cut knee. Mr Mitchell to boy home and notified district nurse who later attended injuries.
18.12.48: A Children's Xmas Party was held today. Free tea given by parents and friends, followed by games at the institute, plays by the infants, carols by juniors & seniors. The vicar of Bucks Mills officiated as Santa Claus and distributed toys to all the chidlren. Light supper followed.
1949
17.3.49: Mrs Whitmore and County Canteen Organiser called this afternoon to discuss arrangements for Cantten on school premises.
23.3.49: School Enquiry Superintendent called this morning re transport arrangements when the senior children go to Hartland School.
9.7.49: Brian Braund aged 8 died this Saturday morning after a very brief illness, a sort of meningitis
27.9.49: School broke up today for the summer holidays. Mr P Colwill finished his duties here.
8.9.49: School reopened this morning with only juniors and infants. From today the school is reorganised: the senior children going by bus to Hartland Modern Secondary School. During the Summer holiday the school has been repainted inside and outside. Senior desks, books and woodwork benches removed to Hartland during the holidays.
14.9.49: David Withycombe's fingers were squashed in the classroom door by Patrick Saunders at dinnertime today.
14.10.49: School closed today. New stove put in to canteen. Headmaster visited a specialist at Exter Hospital in regard to pains in Sciatic nerve probably induced by muscular strain involved in moving woodwork benches and desks.
23.03.50: Accident to Scholar 11:30am. Face burned by explosion from tortoise stove. Fact of case: The stove was not burning very well, and by 11am was out. [the scholar] asked if he should see to it and I agreed. On being asked for a match I inspected the stove first and noticed that he had dipped paper in paraffin and had the tin with about a cupful of paraffin nearby. Seeing this I gave a talk to the whole class on the dangers of using paraffin and ordered the boy to take the tin away – which he did. I then lit the stove myself. I then went on with my work leaving the boy to let me know if it went out again. Within a few minutes there was a slight explosion. The boy had retrieved his tin of paraffin from outside and had poured it into the stove and it had exploded into his face. I phoned the local nurse and doctor – both unavailable at the time. Nurse came 12:30 and applied ointment and bandages. I took the boy home in my car.”
21st January 1953: Accident to pupil – Michael Hill – who accidentally slipped and tumbled over the school railings into the roadway, severely cutting his face and breaking his spectacles. He was taken to the school house where he sipped hot tea by the fire and his face was washed gently. Dr Somerton put about seven stitches in the boy’s cheek.
24.04.54: The new school wireless set arrived today. Receiver from Sound Sales Ltd,
18th October 1956 – An Australian headmaster on a visit to this country kindly spoke to the children this morning about
6th May 1960 School closed today by Royal Command for the wedding of Princess Margaret to Mr Armstrong-Jones
2.02.61: Accident to pupil. H. Johns fell over another girl. Fell at playtime 3:10pm on rough playground. Sustained greenstick fracture left arm. Accident Forms sent.
21st May 1970 Interview for Cook Supervisor took place today. Mrs M Braund appointed.
30th June 1970: School closed this afternoon as all the staff attended a course on Metrication.
1st February 1973: The Headmaster attended a meeting in Bideford to discuss with Mr J Dare, Headmaster of the Secondary School, the new secondary reorganisation.
February 1975: The swimming pool, ordered by the Friends of
13th October 1980 – Mrs V Dart, School Meals Organiser, visited the school to inform kitchen staff that cooking will cease here at the end of this term (high costs have reduced our numbers to 18 children). We currently have a cook, a kitchen helper and a mealtime assistant. In January only a kitchen helper and mealtime assistant will be required.
15th January 1981 – Complaints received from parents because two nights running children on buses arrived home at 6 O’clock. Reason was that the Bideford bus, which our bus links up with had broken down. The children had to wait on a bus that was quite able to take them home. Letter sent to AEO requesting that changing over on buses en route be halted.
8.01.82 – A fall of snow overnight meant that only about 30 pupils arrived at school. I (Mr Crossman) was only able to get here at one o’clock as roads were closed between here and Bideford. Miss Hardy and Miss Grainger were unable to get in at all. Miss Ryan and Mr Yelland, Head of Putford, who lives in the village conducted school during the morning.
11.01.82 – Following freezing rain and more heavy snow over the weekend which caused power to be cut off for three days, the school was without heat, light and water this morning and did not open.
6.09.83: School reopened. Mrs J Barker temporary secretary joined. 77 on roll.
10th January 1985: The Governors were very pleased with the proposed remodelling but expressed reservations at the need for the school to be split level and the possibility of part of the school field being sold off for building land. Information was also received today that another seventy houses will probably be built in the village during the next two years – this is about the same number as there is on the existing Manor Park Estate.
26th February 1986: School was reopened today as Fulfords of Hartland had at last produced some running water for the wash basins. There has been no snow but really cold weather has reduced the water tanks and pipes to ice containers.
11.07.86: Friends of School held a barbecue and summer fair on the school field. Proceeds towards the second computer fund.
April 27th 1987: School reopened. Excavation of lower level of new building now complete.
December 12th, 1988: Rehearsal of School Christmas Production, “Something Special” by Stuart and Margaret Rickard – a world premiere. Perfomance to Playschool, Clovelly and Parkham tomorrow.
October 6th 1989: Two brothers who were former evacuees to the village visited school today. Their visit coincided with a visit by Mr and Mrs Griffiths who were responsible for the school during the war.
If These Walls Could Only Speak...
This is a full transcript of CB Griffiths' book, published in 1970. I have attempted to trace any copyright on the text, but without success. My apologies if re-publication here breaches any copyright - if it does, please contact the school. MC.
Foreword
As this year 1970 marks the centenery of the 1970 Education Act it is fitting that I publish this book now although it is far from complete. I mention from time to time books to which I have referred and extracted information. The information I have copied verbatim so any spelling variations are not mine. I regret that the book contains neither sex nor violence except perhaps for the fact that the first scholar recorded to receive the cane, for impertinence, was a John Andrew on February 25th, 1879. If this publication gives pleasure or evokes some nostalgic memories then it has acheived its object. I should like to record my very sincere thanks to all those who have lent me photographs or gave me reminiscent information. CB Griffiths.
Grim Times
[...] the village school in the mid-nineteenth century was a grim place indeed. They were grim times. The children of today find it difficult to visualise a time when there were no wireless sets, no transistor radios, no television programmes, no cinemas, no motor cars, no electricity and no bathrooms in the houses.
The first motor cars appeared in 1885, the first wireless broadcasts in 1922, electric lighting was not in common use until the beginning of this century and the first television programmes for the public was approximately in 1936.
Around 1830 there was poverty and distress and hardship. Wages were low, particularly amongst farm workers, and children were needed to work as soon as able to contribute something for the family purse. Education for the poorer classes was very limited.
Few parents were able to read or write and for them to read or write something, if there was occasion to, was often a slow and laborious task.
The Penny Post, introduced by Rowland Hill in 1840, which allowed a letter to cost one penny no matter how far it had to travel, did much to encourage the desire to be more literate.
This was then the general picture throughout the country in the time of the agricultural depression of around 1830. Village schools do not have a long history. There is no mention of a school or schoolmaster in White's History Gazetteer and Directory of Devonshire 1850. It lists most of the people living here at that time. I quote:
"Woolfardisworthy, commonly called Wolsworthy, is a large village of 988 souls. Sir James H Williams is lord of the manor of Bokish commonly called Bucks but a great part of the parish belongs to WW Melhuish, John Trathen and B Prust who have their houses there.
There is no mention of a school in Woolsery that I can trace until 1857 when it is stated, in Billing's Directory and Gazetteer of Devonshire that a new building called the National School had just been completed. This building would not be the present school.
It is significant that it was called a "National" school because these schools were in effect Church schools as distinct from the "British" schools which were undenominational.
Andrew Bell was a Scottish clergyman who founded in 1811 the National Society for Promoting Religious Education in accordance with the principles of the Church of England. So Church Schools were called "National" schools.
Joseph Lancaster was a Quaker who in 1816 founded a society "The British and Foreign School Society" with the object of providing schools for the education of the labouring and manufacturing classes of society of every religious persuasion. These schools were called "British" schools.
There are few details about this school in Woolsery. No log books and no actual records are to be found, if they existed at all.
In fact it is not easy to discover much of the history of Woolsery as the old Church records were destroyed in a fire at Clovelly Court in 1790 and the school records date only from the building of the present school, which was not the National School just mentioned.
The National School was what is now known as the Parish Room [and now Parish house] at the end of the Churchyard.
The Gazetteer of 1857 states that it was supported by subscriptions and the payments of the children.
Mr RR Sellman, the historian and author of Devon Village Schools informs me that he has read in an early issue of Kelly's Directory that the National School at Woolsery was built by the parson in 1850.
Anyway, one thing we do know is that the headmaster of 1857 was Thomas Davey. He was assisted by a Miss Parker.
In Morris and Co's Directory and Gazetteer of 1870 it states that Woolfardisworthy was commonly known as Woolsworthy. The Vicarage was in the incumbency of the Rev William Holderness, late chaplain to the convict establishments of Portland and Dartmoor, and his salary was £60 a year.
There is reference to a private school known as the College at the Old Vicarage [at Cranford] This was a boarding school for young gentlemen with the Rev William Holderness as headmaster, Mr William Lang, second master and Mr George Bevir, third master.
The long room by the side of the road was the schoolroom. An East Wing was built to the house, consisting of a stone flagged laundry and boys bathroom, and a room of the same size above, as a dining and recreation room.
Wide wooden stairs led from the yard to projecting porches, to the dining and school rooms. The whole attic floor was the dormitory and was fitted with wash basins. A door from the yeard led to a playing field on the east side and the field at the bottom of the garden was also used by the boys. The stream at the bottom was dammed to form a swimming bath. The field is still known as the bath field.
Tradition says that the vicar's lavatory was a sort of sentry box in the bath field and one day it was blown over and the vicar got out though a hole in the bottom.
His pupils formed a fife and drum band and they marched to Church on Sundays from the old Vicarage, playing their instruments. When the Rev. Holderness left in 1885 the east wing was taken down and stairs to the old schoolroom were put inside the end outhouse, which became the laundry.
Further extracts coming soon....