Monken Hadley: Education

EDUCATION.

Francis Atkinson (d. 1665) established an academy for gentlemen's sons at Ludgrove in the mid 17th century, under his son-in-law Joshua Poole (fl. 1632-46) of Clare Hall, Cambridge. (fn. 1) Atkinson's brother-in-law Gregory Lovell later took over the school, which seems to have closed soon after 1679. (fn. 2) Another boys' school was being run by David Garrow in 1747. (fn. 3)

A girls' school was set up in 1737 and financed by subscriptions. Books and spinning-wheels were bought in 1738 and in 1742 Andrew Hopegood bequeathed £4 a year for clothing and educating 12 girls of the parish. (fn. 4) The school was also left £30 by Thomas Shewell in 1770, £10 by John Shewell in 1772, and £10 by Judith Shewell in 1773. (fn. 5) It was re-established as a charity school in 1780 and a new school-house was built in 1800, when it became a school of industry; (fn. 6) in 1814, when it was run according to Dr. Bell's method, 20 girls received £1 a year for clothes and were educated free, while another 30 paid 2d. a week. (fn. 7) The school was associated with Hadley National school in 1832.

Poor boys were first taught at the Sunday school in 1787. (fn. 8) A day school for 20 boys was opened by a nonconformist in 1799 and supported by subscriptions; when the founder died it came under Anglican management and was run according to the National system by the superintendent of the Sunday school. There were about 80 pupils in 1819, of whom 20 were clothed and educated free while the rest paid 2d. a week. A day school for 60 girls, of whom 43 came from outside Hadley, existed in 1819, when the poor were said not to lack the means of education. (fn. 9) There were five schools in 1833, including one day and boarding school for 31 girls, run by Baptists. (fn. 10)

The two National schools were removed in 1832 to new premises on Hadley Common, near the entrance to Mount House, where, although under the same roof, they were still managed separately. (fn. 11) In 1871 there were 19 boys and 31 girls at the schools, (fn. 12) which received a government grant in 1878. (fn. 13) By 1893 the schools had been amalgamated as Monken Hadley National mixed school, with an attendance of 86. (fn. 14) In 1908 the school was managed, together with the infants' school and Highstone school, by the Hadley grouped schools committee. (fn. 15) It later became a junior mixed and infants' school and in 1943 was rebuilt on the same site. (fn. 16) There were 98 children on the roll in 1974. (fn. 17)

Monken Hadley Church of England infants' school was established before 1863 in a building on Hadley Green belonging to George Pooley, the upper storey of which was the schoolmistress's residence. It had the same management as the National schools and in 1875 there were 35 pupils. (fn. 18) The school received a government grant in 1878 (fn. 19) but was closed in 1922, when there were 30 pupils. (fn. 20)

A schoolroom was opened before 1866 in premises north of the Windmill inn at Hadley Highstone, rented by the vicar of Christ Church, Barnet. (fn. 21) The school, which had 40 girls and infants in 1874, (fn. 22) closed between 1908 and 1919. (fn. 23)

The Sisters of St. Martha moved the senior girls from their independent school in Wood Street, Barnet, to Mount House in 1947. Mount House was enlarged in 1960 and 1968 and was attended by some 300 girls in 1974, of whom 35 boarded with the nuns at Hadley Bourne. (fn. 24)