Charlton Park School, Charlton (North Wilts)

The National School was built in the centre of the village, to the south of the road, in 1838. Twenty years later in 1858 there were 75 children on the roll. In the 1890s there were regular visits to the school from the Dowager Countess of Suffolk and Lady Victoria Howard. This was often to examine the girls’ needlework or to present prizes.

Within the log books there are continual references to the levels of attendance. This may seem to be bordering on obsession but was of vital importance to a school then as their grants were dependent on how many children came to school every day.
There were many reasons for decreasing attendances; illness, weather and the need to go and work in the fields being the main three. Common illnesses were mumps, German measles, influenza and chicken pox. There were also cases of scarlet fever and impetigo. In 1915 the head teacher notes the very high level of toothache and neuralgia in the winter of 1915. In March 1916 the snow and cold were so bad that some of the children brought their slippers into school. The school was shut for several days in 1918 so the children could go out to pick blackberries.

In 1899 the Government Report was fair, with an average attendance of 82.6%. The staff at the time consisted of John Henry Purlott, assisted by Letitia Purlott and Mabel Purlott with Lottie Purlott as a monitress. The school was regularly visited by Lady Victoria Howard often accompanied by friends as well as the Reverend J. F. Collins. In 1900 object lessons included the Hanoverian Sovereigns, Gray’s Elegy and Father William; followed by the Tudor period in 1902 and the British Isles.

Epidemics of measles and chicken pox occurred in 1901. Further absences were usually due to bad weather and in 1904 an epidemic of mumps. Closures occasionally occurred for a concert at Charlton Park House, confirmations and point to point races at Charlton.

In 1906 ownership of the school was taken over by Wiltshire County Council but the local board of managers remained.

The various inspections of the school seemed to produce positive reports over the years. The Diocesan reports of 1917 read: “This school has now reached a very high standard of efficiency. The infants were most interested in their work and answered very readily. The Bible and prayer book subjects had been taught thoroughly and the children were keen and intelligent in their answering.” In 1919 His Majesty’s Inspector wrote: “Since the present head teacher took charge of this school great improvement has been effected in the spirit and discipline and in the work of the children who are in excellent order, well behaved and industrious.” The number on the roll the following year, in 1920, was 79. In that year, the boys in standards three and above were taken on a tour around the gardens at Charlton Park. They were showed around by the garden staff including the Head Gardener.

The log books for the start of the 20th century shows the frequency of, and reasons for, physical punishment. This was caning, usually on the hand, but often on the charmingly Victorian “posterior.” In 1909 the number of children on the registers was 80 and the average attendance was 75.9%. Punishments, such as one or more strokes of the cane, were given for “incessant talking,” eating in school, breaking a window or damaging other school property and on one occasion for “puncturing a gentleman’s bicycle.” Reasons in 1915 ranged from disobedience, idleness, breaking school rules and talking during lessons. Reasons just ten years later in 1925 seem a little more physical; boys more often got in trouble for throwing sticks, throwing stones, and “rough behaviour.”

In 1910 there were 83 children on the register. The school was regularly visited by Rev. Woodcock and also by the Countess of Suffolk who would distribute the prizes for good attendance. In June 1911 there was an epidemic of measles which caused closure of the school until mid July followed by an epidemic of scarlet fever which lingered for a couple of years, resulting in some pupils being admitted to the Isolation Hospital. The school was regularly fumigated during this time. The Head of the school changed in 1913 when Mr. Frank Canham took over as Certificated Master, assisted by Mrs. Canham as Infant Mistress and Lionel Canham and Elsie Fry as Assistants. A further epidemic occurred in 1914, this time of diptheria. In December 1914 the geography and general lessons were illustrated with Cinematographic pictures, the first time that many of the pupils had seen “moving pictures.”

The school was affected slightly by the First World War; at the end of 1915 one of the masters left to enlist. At about the same time, five children left the parish with their parents. They were moving to London so that their parents could take part in munitions making. In September 1916 a War Savings Association started at the school. An initial £4 was paid in by the pupils. By November the association had 51 members and it was the only association in the Malmesbury rural area. By 1917, fuel was becoming hard for the school to get. It was with relief that the head teacher wrote of a delivery of coal and coke from Messrs Read (presumably Reads of Minety).

In October of 1917, school was shut for a few days as children were out searching for acorns. These were given to farmers who were desperate for food to give to their pigs.
The children also picked conkers on behalf of the Ministry of Munitions. The children would have not known what this was for; a fairly unsuccessful scheme to use conkers to make acetone which was used in the production of shells. When the Armistice was signed the children sang the national anthem and other thanksgiving songs. A similar event took place the following year to mark the first anniversary. The children listened to a message from the King and stood to attention in silence for two minutes to honour “the Glorious Dead.”

The charmingly named “Bobby Bingo” was the school’s pet terrier in the 1920s. He was born in July 1921 and died in 1932, and the boys made a pretty rockery over his grave.

In the Second World War, 18 evacuees from St. Giles in the Field School in Holborn, London, and four children who had been sent out of cities to stay with relatives in the country arrived in Charlton. In June 1940 twelve more evacuees arrived from Grays, Essex, along with their teacher Mrs Edwards.

Further information will be found under Charlton Park Church of England VC School.