PEGSWOOD SCHOOL.

 

 

   The original hamlet of Pegswood could not afford to support a school. It did not have enough children. The scholars of Pegswood had to walk to nearby Bothal to attend school.

 

   However, as the mining community began to expand, housing was built for the workforce and set among the housing was a new school. The school building was built centrally between Portland Place and Bentinck Terrace. As the Bothal School closed in December 1873, Pegswood School opened in 1874. However, it was not until January 1876 that the first entry was made in the school logbook. This shows that James Routledge was Head Teacher assisted by Mabel Routledge - ex pupil teacher, Emily Nelson – ex pupil teacher and R.G. Routledge – ex monitor. However, the school building was not all that it might be as Routledge recorded, Jan 10 1876; ‘Mabel Routledge is dangerously ill due to the damp in the new portion of the building’.

 

   The numbers of Pegswood were always fluctuating due, mainly, to the movement of mining families as they moved from one colliery to the next. Illness and disease was another cause of number fluctuation as they ran rampant through the village. James Routledge was to point out another cause, as were the Headmasters who followed him. An entry made, May 2 1877 states; ‘Fair Day at Morpeth, a great many children absent’.

 

   The first Pegswood School does not appear to have been a very happy place. A report on the school gave it only a ‘fair’ result overall. Neither geography nor grammar being up to the required standard. Routledge was to accuse the Assistant Master of not sticking to the timetable. This led to the Assistant Master handing in his resignation followed next day by the resignation of the Assistant Mistress. Ten days later. Routledge himself, resigned, recording in the logbook: ‘….after two years and nine months’. The school was then taken over by Mr Logan who was not destined to last long as the school was informed, by mine owner S.H. Fraser, it was to close. It is not clear what reason for the closure was given. Falling standards and falling numbers were two. However, there had been a number of strikes at the mine and it was not unknown for mine owners to use closure of schools as a weapon against striking miners. After all, Fraser had helped pay for the school. The school was to remain closed for a year.

 

   On June 9 1879, Pegswood School was to reopen under its new master, Thomas Hutchinson. He was to record that there was sixty-one pupils on the register but, as they had not had any schooling for a year, most of the pupils had forgotten their ‘letters’.

 

   Numbers began to swell during this time due mainly to the coming and going of mining families. In 1880 attendance was up to 137, rising to 211 by the end of 1882. However, the annual report only allowed a result of ‘Fair’, pointing out that needlework was ‘fair’ but no extra subjects had been attempted. The report also stated that 73 of the pupils were not qualified by their attendance. There had been more than a few changes in staff over the period and school furniture was not up to standard. In his defence, Hutchinson, pointed to the fact that, desks made to seat five had a s many as eight sitting at them. His pupils were also disadvantaged in the fact that they had to use slates on which to practice their exams. The exams themselves, was carried out on paper. In answer to the high turnover of staff, Hutchinson, was to state; ‘The Assistant Teachers seem to make Pegswood a convenience till they can get another place’.

 

   Hutchinson gives us an insight into the problems of getting and retaining staff. A certain Miss Goff was appointed to Pegswood School. Traveling from Durham she arrived at Pegswood Station, walked up the street and got the next train back to Durham. Hutchinson pointed out that she never even took the time to look at the school. As she had signed a contract, Miss Goff was duty bound to serve a month as a teacher at Pegswood. This she did. The handing in of her resignation being Miss Goff’s first act on entering the school.

 

   The complaints of Hutchinson were eventually acknowledged. New desks were supplied to the school and, to relieve the near bursting point of the school, a new infants school was opened, January 18 1895. This school still stands today and is used as a community center having formerly been a church hall and, later, a bar; Potters Bar. Along with the new infants school came a new Head Teacher in the form of Jane Elizabeth Weightman; Hutchinson remaining as Head Master. Like all new buildings, the new school had its faults. Down draughting smoke, from the fires needed to heat the school, and rattling, bad fitting windows being the bane of Jane Weightman’s life. Even the dust rising from the floor was not overlooked and reported. The local Doctor recommended that sawdust should be laid to combat the dust problem.

 

   However, the main problem was still to be fluctuating numbers of pupils. Mainly this was due to the nomadic life of the mining families. However, illness also played a big part with Measles and Scarlet Fever being often present in the school. There were other causes for the school closing for the odd day. August2 1895 saw the whole school on a day trip to Newbiggin. August 13 1895 saw the school closed to allow the teachers to travel to Sunderland to view the visiting Channel fleet. While a circus procession at Morpeth caused the school to close its doors once more due to a lack of enough pupils to make it worthwhile keeping it open.

 

   Complaints by Hutchinson were still the main cause of concern. The school at this time recorded over 300 scholars on its books. Numbers were, however, still in a state of flux due to comings and goings among the mining community as Hutchinson was to write; ‘…work is suspended with result that there is an exodus from the place…They (the miners) seem to be in a perennial state of immigration’. The mine was once more on strike and fever and sickness was once again rampant. However, six entrepreneurs were caught staying off school to pick potatoes – a habit that was to last for many years – and were duly punished.

 

   To combat overcrowding, a new school was opened on the Longhirst Road, April 15 1904. Mr J.E. Humphrey – an engineer at the colliery – was the architect of the building. He was also responsible for the building design of the Primitive Methodist Chapel opposite the infant’s school. Messer’s Carse, builders, of Amble carried out the building work for the sum of  £5,000, payment divided equally between the Duke of Portland and Mr S.H. Fraser, colliery owner. The old first school was then transformed into a Workingmen’s Institute, remaining as such until its demise in the late 1960s. Today, there is only a piece of lawn to mark the spot of Pegswood’s first seat of learning.

 

   Vandalism, even in those days appears common. Both schools fell victim to burglary, although nothing was ever taken. Difficult to understand were the actions that took place, July 4 1919. Windows were broken in the school and Hutchinson was to write that it was; ‘To celebrate the signing of peace’. While on the same day; ‘ On Tuesday afternoon school raided by a mob (of both sexes) of between 200 and 300 persons..’ It would appear that the population of Pegswood had some unique ways of celebrating peace.

 

   March 24 1921 brought a further milestone to the history of Pegswood School. It was to be Hutchinson’s last day at the school. He had served Pegswood and its school for over forty years, a remarkable achievement by any standards. His motto had always been; ‘Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well’ and, in that time he had become Pegswood’s own Mr Chips. During his lifetime, Hutchinson, had published an essay on Robert Burns, four books of poetry and a book of Homely Essays. Robert Joisce was to take Hutchinson’s place. Joisce was to leave his first impressions of Pegswood; ‘There was no water in the village, the school was not heated, closets could not be flushed and the miners were on strike. However, the weather was fine’.

 

   Pegswood, however, found itself once more in the grip of illness and disease. Influenza, Scarlet Fever and TB were rampant within the village and its school. One teacher, Miss Turnbull, was to die as a result as well as at least one scholar.

 

   However, the old problem of overcrowding was still there and causing problems. A screen was erected across the hall, dividing one class from another; ‘…greatly to the comfort and convenience of all…’ Outside, the playground had become a sea of mud when it rained. This was concreted over but was to bring further problems. In the dry, the wind caused it to be a dust bowl.

 

   Overcrowding or not, it was decided to bring both schools under one roof. April 17 1934 saw the closure of the infant’s school as they departed to join the juniors in the Longhirst Road School. The school was now to be known as  ‘Pegswood Junior and Infants Council School’. Mr Curly, School Correspondent, entered the last sentence in the Infants School logbook as he wrote with a flourish; ‘This is the finish of the Pegswood Colliery Infants School’.

 

   July 6 1923 saw the Prince of Wales pass through the district. To mark the occasion the scholars of Pegswood School were to travel to nearby Ashington to witness the occasion. The scholars having to walk to Ashington, as Joisce was to report; ‘…the children have been marched to Ashington to see him’. The ‘march’ did not find favour with all and some scholars took the advantage of staying at home. However, they were missed from school and Joisce was having none of it. They were ‘sent for’ and joined the march to Ashington.

 

   The year 1937 saw two events of importance for Pegswood School. Firstly a new section of school was built to the rear of the existing school. This was to become the Senior School and is still in existence. Secondly, December 23 of that year saw the retirement of Robert Joisce after serving over sixteen years. Joseph Smith, a teacher at Pegswood School, took over temporarily as Head Teacher until the arrival of M.W. Henzell in 1939.

 

   Further staff movements were to come beginning June 3 1946 when the new Headmistress of the Infants and Junior School arrived. Signing her name with a flourish in the school logbook, Margaret Tait Douglas. Miss Douglas was followed the next year by the arrival of the new Headmaster of the Senior School, William Cadwell. Mr Cadwells’ wife was also a teacher and, they took up residence in the Masters house next to the school. It was the same old problems that faced both of them, however: attendance fluctuation. Mainly, this was due to illness. Scarlet Fever, Chickenpox and Jaundice had reached almost epidemic proportions in 1949.

 

   It was Miss Douglas who first opened up the school to the pupil’s parents. Making Parents Day and annual event, each one becoming more successful than the one before. Miss Douglas also made an attempt to introduce culture into the life of the school by inviting people to the school from the world of the arts. Among those ‘known’ celebrities was Maureen Springer, Covent Garden opera singer, who paid a visit , October 10 1949. The same day saw the first of many visits to the school by Mary Burchell, North Country novelist who had brought some of her books. The attendance of celebrities attracted more parents to the Parents Day with the result that Parents Day of July 26 1950 was hailed by Miss Douglas as: ‘A great success’.

 

   In the Senior School, Cadwell was to introduce the ‘House System’ to the school, July 14 1947. This called for the school to be divided equally into three ‘Houses’, Alnwick, Warkworth and Lindisfarne. The idea centring on all achievement within the school being a team effort. Although mainly for sporting events it was carried over into all lessons within the school. Points awarded to pupils were also awarded to their ‘House’. Every effort being put in by all to make their ‘House’ the overall best.

 

   Culture was still high on the school agenda within both schools. There were visits to the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne as well as various theatre events. One Theatre event being a performance of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ at the Arena theatre Newcastle, Jan 26 1954. However, it was October 29^th of that year that saw the largest school trip to date. No less than 132 children accompanied by 12 teachers and helpers departed from Pegswood Station for the destination of Cullercoats. The object being to join other schools from Northumberland and County Durham to greet the new Queen and Prince Phillip who were making a visit to the area. Miss Douglas, effervescent as ever, was to record; ‘…a landmark in the lives of the children’.

 

 

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A LIST OF HEAD TEACHERS.

PEGSWOOD INFANTS SCHOOL.

 

Jane Elizabeth Weightman                             Jan 1895 – 1900.

E. Middleton.                                           March   1901 – 1903.

E. Peart.                                                   April     1903 – 1910.

Annie Hope.                                            August  1910  - 1920. 

C.H. Saunders.                                          July     1920 -  1934.

Jessie Peacock.                                      March   1934 -  1935.

Eleanor Young Green.                           April     1935 -  ?

Margaret Tait Douglas.                          April     1948 – 1960s

 

JUNIOR AND INFANTS COMBINED.

 

James Routledge.                                              c1874 – Dec 1877.

Thomas Heatley Hutchinson.                       June    1879 – Mar 1921.

 

SENIOR SCHOOL.

 

Robert Joisce.                                         April    1921 – Dec 1937.

Joseph Smith.                                          Jan      1938 -          1939.

M.W. Henzell                                                     1939  - Dec 1946.

William Cadwell.                                   July      1947  - Feb 1963.

 

 

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SOME SNIPPETS FROM THE SCHOOL LOG BOOKS.

 

March 20 1876.     A great number of children have left the school owing to their

                              parents having left the colliery.

 

Nov 1^st  1876.       Very low attendance as most other schools were on holiday –

                              school remained open.

 

June 28 1878.       Colliery owner Mr Fraser has informed the school that it will

                             close after the government examinations.

 

April 30 1880.     N. Dunn (I.S.) swallowed a shilling in school on Tuesday –

                            was very ill, shilling got out Thursday.

 

Oct 14 1881.      Great gale of wind and rain this afternoon – the tops of the

                           school earth closets were blown off.

 

Feb 11 1887.      Most of the children did not bring ‘school pence’. Their parents

                           say they have not got it s cannot pay it.

 

Nov 2  1888.      Two of the scholars died suddenly of fever.

 

Oct 19  1906.     A.H. Holdsworth gave a lecture on lungs and the effect of alcohol

                          on them.

 

July 11  1924.   80 children absent this afternoon – 24 more than this morning. They

                          are attending at the co-operative society to withdraw the dividend.

 

April 29  1926.  Between 50 and 60 children absent through Smallpox and Scarlet

                           Fever.

 

Sept 7  1927.   One or two absent through want of boots.

 

June 18  1929.  The weather has been very bad all week, and since many of the

                         children have very bad footwear the attendance has dropped to 81%.

 

Mar 1  1935.    Medical report showed that some children were undernourished –

                        12 more children supplied with milk.

 

Nov 10  1950.  Evening classes in woodwork and choral music have been formed.

 

 

RETURN.