Llandrindod and district
Victorian school days
  Gunpowder, big sticks, and marbles !  
 

Different sorts of troublesome behaviour are reported in most early school Log Books. The first of these is from Howey National School in 1877, and it sounds a bit dangerous...

 
9th October
1877
School diary entry
To see old photographs of Llanbister Cantal school click here.
9th October - "This morning Willie Hurst set fire to some gunpowder on the doorstep, for which he was sharply reproved, he requires a great deal of patience, promises better behaviour".
Gunpowder was widely used in Victorian times in quarries and for building railways and dams. There were few safety rules then, and it was very easy to get hold of !
The next entry is from Llanbister Cantal School in 1880...
It wasn't only bad behaviour that was reported in the school Log Books !
In October 1868 the Master at Howey School wrote
"All the children very good today, they gave me no trouble"
28th May
1880
School diary entry
Drawing by
Rob Davies
28th May - "John Morris has been present at one meeting of the school this week - having acted truant the other times. His father brought him by means of a very long big stick".
The school registers were marked every morning and every afternoon, so this lad had only been in class for half a day - until his father gave him some gentle encouragement to attend school - with the help of a big stick !
This last one is also from Howey National School, in 1892...
Parent with stick !
5th April
1892
School diary entry

5th April - "Caned some First Class boys for coming late, the only reason being that they had been playing marbles along the roads".
Not as serious as the other cases, but they still got caned !

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