Hay British Infants School 5
The shows come to town, 1899
There are always a variety of occasions mentioned in early school records which provide reasons (or excuses !) for children to be absent from school. In rural areas help from older children was often vital to farmers during seasonal tasks such as the hay harvest.
The younger children of the Infants School had other distractions, as noted in the School Log Books over the years.
Hay British
Infants School
Log Book
Powys
County Archives
B/E/PS/36/L
The typical example shown above is from 16th June 1899, and
reads:
"The School was closed on Monday on account of the "Fair".
The attendances have been very low, throughout the week, owing
to a Menagerie, & other shows being in town".
Many varieties of 'Fair' appear regularly in the school log books
of market towns, and those from early years often involved cattle
and horses loose in the streets, which would have been potentially
dangerous for little children, and school holidays for such
events were routine over many years.
There are 19 pages on the Hay British Infants School. Use the box links below to view the other pages.
