The Ragged School, Malmesbury

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This was set up by Nonconformists to counter the St. Joseph's Roman Catholic School. Walter Powell, M.P., provided a wooden building that was sited on land given by Thomas Luce. It was open on Sundays and evenings from 1866 but opened as a free day school, in Burnside, from February 1870 with 53 pupils. The school flourished for a time and a new building was opened in June 1873 but the school was soon in financial difficulties and when they received a government grant in 1877 they were obliged to meet certain standards. This resulted in a charge being made to parents but in 1886 it was found to be too expensive to meet the necessary standards and the school closed with the pupils being transferred to the National Schools.