When children at Victorian schools behaved badly, they were often punished by being hit on the hands with the teacher's cane.
Many teachers were very strict and most schools kept a "Punishment Book" to record the names of the bad ones and the details of their offences. Most parents accepted that their children should be treated firmly at school if they caused trouble !
But this still didn't stop some bad behaviour, like these typical examples from Boughrood School...

17th February 1864 - "Cautioned a child against copying from another child's slate".
15th February 1865 - "Punished Margaret Price for being untidy and dirty".
5th June 1865 - Punished Edwin Lewis for using bad language, and throwing stones".
20th December 1882 - "Punished Gratten Tuck for using bad language in School".
It wasn't only Boughrood School that had naughty children, by the way. They were everywhere !

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