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The History of Borough Road School/College from
its Origins in 1798 until its merger with Maria Grey
College to form West London Institute of Higher
Education in 1976

Europe
N. America Asia
Central America Africa
S. America
Australia

Borough Road School/College Overseas
The History of Borough Road School/College from
its Origins in 1798 until its merger with Maria Grey
College to form West London Institute of Higher
Education in 1976

COPYRIGHT

IRIS TURNER

October 2015

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

ISBN13: 9781908549235
ISBN10: 1908549238
Table of Contents

Tables ............................................................................................................. iii
Figures ............................................................................................................ iv
The Glossary ................................................................................................... v
Preface ............................................................................................................ vi
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................... viii
Section A Background ............................................................................... 1
Historical Introduction ................................................................................ 1
Early Days of Training Teachers .............................................................. 17
Types of Schools for the Children of the Poor .......................................... 22
Joseph Lancaster’s Life ............................................................................. 33
Development of Joseph Lancaster’s School and Teacher Training College
................................................................................................................... 58
Joseph Lancaster versus Mrs Sarah Trimmer and Reverend Dr Andrew
Bell ............................................................................................................. 66
Mrs Sarah Trimmer ................................................................................... 66
Reverend Dr Andrew Bell ......................................................................... 70
Lancasterian System of Teaching.............................................................. 75
Section B Borough Road School/College .................................................. 78
The 1790s .................................................................................................. 78
The 1800s .................................................................................................. 82
The 1810s .................................................................................................. 92
The 1820s ................................................................................................ 106
The 1830s ................................................................................................ 114
The 1840s ................................................................................................ 140
The 1850s ................................................................................................ 163
The 1860s ................................................................................................ 174
The 1870s ................................................................................................ 207
The 1880s ................................................................................................ 220
The 1890s ................................................................................................ 236
The 1900s ................................................................................................ 263
The 1910s ................................................................................................ 293
The 1920s ................................................................................................ 315
The 1930s ................................................................................................ 343
The 1940s ................................................................................................ 353
The 1950s ................................................................................................ 391
The 1960s ................................................................................................ 413
The Period 1970 - 1976 ........................................................................... 431
Epilogue ...................................................................................................... 448
i
References ................................................................................................... 449
Appendices .................................................................................................. 502
Appendix 1: The British and Foreign School Society Manifesto .......... 503
Appendix 2: Rules and Regulations of the British and Foreign Schools
Society ..................................................................................................... 507
Appendix 3: Description of Joseph Lancaster’s Classroom .................. 508
Appendix 4: The British Schools Museum, Hitchin ............................... 512
Appendix 5: Regulations for Students in Residence at Borough Road
College in 1839 ........................................................................................ 518
Appendix 6: Royal Charter ..................................................................... 519
Appendix 7: Act of Parliament ............................................................... 521
Appendix 8: List of Royal Commissions ............................................... 525
Appendix 9: Parliamentary Select Committees ..................................... 527
Appendix 10: Publications ..................................................................... 528
Appendix 11: Principals of Borough Road College ............................... 529
Appendix 12: Educational Texts Written by Masters/Principals of
Borough Road School/College ................................................................ 530
Appendix 13: Reminiscences of the Second World War ....................... 535
ii
Tables

1. Acts of Parliament relating especially to the Employment of Women and
Children
2. The Six Standards of Education as Defined in the Revised Code of 1862
3. The Six Standards of Education as Defined in the Revised Code of 1872
4. Interim Reports of the Committee on National Expenditure
5. Elementary Day School Code of 1899: Syllabus for Geography Across the
Seven Standards
6. Borough Road College Students in Residence at Richmond
iii
Figures

The following pictures came from the Archives of the British and Foreign
School Society with their permission

1. Borough Road Lancaster’s Schoolroom (1817)
2. Borough Road Normal School (1817)
3. Pupils at Reading Stations in Lancaster’s Schoolroom
4. Borough Road Training College (1870)

The following pictures were taken by the author at the British School
Museum with their permission
Please note that pictures 5 and 6 show some modernisation of the
Lancaster’s Schoolroom e.g. radiators

5. Overview of Lancaster’s Schoolroom in Hitchin
6. Inside View of Lancaster’s Schoolroom in Hitchin. This picture shows
the disciplinary labels to be hung round pupil’s neck.
7. Explanatory Poster Describing the Features of the Lancaster
Schoolroom in Hitchin

All these pictures are to be seen in the appropriate appendices.
iv
The Glossary

BFSS British and Foreign School Society

CNAA Council for National Academic Awards

HCPP House of Commons Parliamentary PapersHis/Her

HMI His/her Majesty’s Inspector

MRST Member of the Royal Society of Teachers

NACTST National Advisory Council for the Training and Supply of

Teachers

NUET National Society of Elementary Teachers

NUT National Union of Teachers

SPCK Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge

TRC Teacher Registration Council
v
Preface

This book is concerned with the development of the education of the
children of poor parents from its early beginnings. The introductory chapters
provide an historical review of the lives of the poor children and their
meagre education over the centuries. Initially the types of schools available
to the children of the poor were very limited with the dominant one being a
charity school. Very many children got little or no education.

With the advent of the industrial revolution in the mid-eighteenth century
education started to assume some importance for these children. As a result
of the need to teach these children, it was a necessity to start training
teachers.

The book covers the work of Joseph Lancaster with poor children initially in
the locality of his home in Borough Road, Southwark and then its rapid
spread across England and to other countries across the world. By 1814
Joseph Lancaster’s work became part of the British and Foreign School
Society, which administered the Borough Road School and its associated
training college until the teacher training college was merged with another
teacher training college in 1976.

In due course of time children, who had learnt to read and write, taught
younger pupils. These children were known as monitors. Promising monitors
were taken to live with Joseph Lancaster in his own house in order to train
them as teachers. In effect he had started a primitive teacher training
institution.

Initially Joseph Lancaster’s teacher training programme merely took three
months. At the end of the training the monitors went to spread the
Lancasterian system of elementary education across the country and soon to
countries across the world.

The life and the substantial work of Joseph Lancaster are given in some
detail and his relation with a vast array of eminent people is noted. Many of
these people, regarded as social reformers, included William Allen, William
Wilberforce and Elizabeth Fry. To this list may be added the Revd Dr
Andrew Bell and Mrs Sarah Trimmer, who were members of the Church of
England whilst Joseph Lancaster was a member of the Society of Friends.
vi
Mrs Trimmer and Revd Dr Andrew Bell had serious concerns with Joseph
Lancaster’s means of teaching and engaged in controversy with him.

Then the development of his training school is examined in some depth.
Joseph Lancaster devised a strategy for the operation of his school having a
monitor-general and a number of monitors to undertake the teaching. Every
aspect of the running of the school and the teaching of the pupils was clearly
articulated. Hence the Lancasterian system of elementary school teaching
was established.

In 1814 the control of the Borough Road institutions passed from Joseph
Lancaster to the British and Foreign School Society. For some years this
society was sustained by subscriptions and donations and so was a voluntary
organisation.

The first chapter of the main text, which deals with the 1790 decade,
includes the opening of Joseph Lancaster’s school in 1798 in Borough Road,
Southwark. Then the main part of the book is devoted to the development of
the Borough Road institutions and their activities decade by decade. Each
chapter considers changes in legislation and how educational initiatives were
created and implimented.

Throughout the text Geography is used to demonstrate how these changes in
the schools and the teacher training colleges were enacted.

The epilogue outlines the merger of Borough Road College with Maria Grey
College to form West London Institute of Higher Education in 1976.
vii
Acknowledgements

In preparing this book, I have had the help and support of many people. Ex-
colleagues and ex-students of Borough Road College have very willingly
provided much valuable personal information. In addition many other
institutions/organisations have provided relevant information by replying to
my specific questions for information very quickly.

As a member of the staff of Borough Road College from September 1967 I
have had an interest in the British and Foreign School Society as a charitable
organisation providing support for deprived children. I was appointed a
British and Foreign School Society governor of a school associated with
Borough Road College for many years in 1981. The school was Isleworth
Grammar School, which was located opposite Borough Road College but
later renamed Isleworth and Syon School when the reorganisation of schools
took place.

I wish to acknowledge the following for giving me so much of their time.

1. Staff of the Archives of the British and Foreign School Society
located within Brunel University. Phaedra Casey, Penny Lyndon,
Mandy Mordue and Joshua Connolly have made every effort to find
specific references for me.
2. The staff of the British Schools Museum in Hitchin for allowing me to
take photographs of the complex of buildings and the only remaining
Lancasterian Schoolroom in the world.
3. All the staff of Brunel University library has given excellent support
throughout my years at the university. Especial thanks go to Claire
Grover, James Langridge, Carolyn Mustard and Monique Ritchie for
always helping to provide answers to some of my very unusual
questions.
4. Staff of the Brunel University’s Computer Support Service, who
provided excellent help and support for somebody who came to using
a computer late in life. Members of the computer support service
included Peter Curling, Alexis Gohar (deceased), Nana Hammond,
Jess Luscombe, Christopher Nixon, Peter Ramsey, Nalin Soni, Raj
Shah, Tariq Suleman, Steven Ward and Gary Wright. Some of the
computer staff I have known for very many years.
viii