Chedzoy: Education

A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 6, Andersfield, Cannington, and North Petherton Hundreds (Bridgwater and Neighbouring Parishes). Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1992.

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'Chedzoy: Education', in A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 6, Andersfield, Cannington, and North Petherton Hundreds (Bridgwater and Neighbouring Parishes), (London, 1992) pp. 250-251. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol6/pp250-251 [accessed 25 March 2024]

EDUCATION.

A school was recorded in 1612 and in 1662 a man was licensed to teach writing, reading, accounts, ciphering, and grammar. (fn. 1) The overseers maintained a school between 1694 and 1777. (fn. 2) In 1819 a Sunday school taught 64 children but numbers had fallen to 42 by 1825. (fn. 3) In 1835 there were 73 at the Sunday school and 54 at two day schools, begun in 1818 and 1830. (fn. 4) The day schools had closed by 1843 but 90 children attended a Sunday school in a building probably erected in 1842. (fn. 5) The Sunday school had 77 pupils in 1846 but a day school was 'much wanted'. (fn. 6) A National school, in existence in 1861, was transferred to a school board in 1875 (fn. 7) and rebuilt in 1876. In 1903 there were 80 children on the books (fn. 8) but numbers fell to 25 in 1945. In 1966 the school became a junior school and in 1981 there were 41 children on the register. (fn. 9)

There was a boarding school in the parish in 1859, a dame school in the 1860s, (fn. 10) and a private school in 1883. Elizabeth Winter kept a dairy school for farmers' children between 1894 and 1910, and for several years afterwards she lectured on cheese and butter making. (fn. 11)

Footnotes

  • 1. Ibid. D/D/Ca 175; D/D/Bs 39.
  • 2. Ibid. DD/S/ST 19/4; D/P/chedz 4/1/4, 13/2/1; D/D/Bs 44.
  • 3. Educ. of Poor Digest, p. 778; Ann. Rep. B. & W. Dioc. Assoc. S.P.C.K. (1825-6), 41.
  • 4. Educ. Enq. Abstract, p. 799.
  • 5. S.R.O., DD/X/HUNT 1.
  • 6. Nat. Soc. Inquiry, 1846-7, Som. 6-7.
  • 7. S.R.O., D/N/bmc 3/2/1; D/P/chedz 18/1/1; ibid. C/T 3.
  • 8. Ibid. C/E 4/380/83.
  • 9. Ibid. 4/64.
  • 10. Harrison, Harrod, & Co. Dir. Som. (1859); P.O. Dir. Som. (1861, 1866).
  • 11. Whitby, Dir. Bridgwater (1883); Kelly's Dir. Som. (1894, 1910, 1919).