Thornhill Free School, Clyffe Pypard

In 1782, a bequest in a will provided a very generous gift of a private house with garden in Thornhill to be turned into a school house. The gift also provided enough money to pay the wage of a school master, £30 a year. The will was made by Thomas Spackman, who had lived and trained as a carpenter in Clyffe Pypard, had made a vast fortune on his migration to London. Within his legacy, he wanted to provide free elementary education to poor children within the parish he had grown up in. The main subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic were to be taught at the school. In 1819, between 60 and 70 children were attending regular lessons. By 1859, there were between 40 and 50 pupils attending this day school. At that time it was described as a very low room, the height was not more than seven feet, the floor was of flagstones, and desks were fixed to the side walls. In 1859 the master was described as an intelligent middle-aged man who had been in charge of the school for 32 years. This establishment was known locally as Thornhill Free School and the building remained in use until 1875. After the closure of the school, the remaining bequeathed money continued to be used to provide prizes for pupils, called ‘Spackman Prizes’. These were given for regular attendance at both Clyffe Pypard and Broad Town schools. It also paid for a library and science equipment