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Gotts Surname Family History
Gresham children referred to in School book 1871-1900
Bill Atkins has transcribed the Gresham School Logbook for 1874-1900. It provides a fascinating insight into both school life, but more importantly the family life of two families in the Gresham tree.
It describes the sort of lessons they had, the difficulties the families had in paying the 2d a week school fees, and when they didn't come because of illness or being kept off to work in the fields, or out rat-catching.
It mentions these children, all in tree #009:
Children of Alfred 277 & Maria Howlett
- Anna Maria (2800), Lower Gresham
- James Albert (2798)
- John Henry (2799)
- Minnie E (2801)
- Florence (2802)
- Rachel (2804)
- Robert (2805) d 1894
- Walter 2 (2807) d 1894
- Clara Selina (2808) d 1894
Children of Samuel & Johanna Pilch
- George Gotts 1648?
- Joanna Gotts (2792) d 1878
- John W (1647)
- Nathaniel (1646), Gresham
- Walter 2 (1649)
Many of the children went home for lunch, though some brought lunch. The children attended when they were five, though Minnie E appears to have been sent when she was four, though they told the school she was five!
Local fairs caused several children not to attend, as did the bad weather. Bill has added in some descriptions of how bad the weather was from published sources. The frustrations of the teacher come through for not being able to educate the children when they had so much time away, as well as the parents' views on doing homework.
There are some traumatic details on why Walter Gotts could not attend school for six weeks as he was looking after his father Samuel, a widow by then, and so ill he died. It also talks about the effect of diphtheria on the children, including the death of three of Alfred & Maria Howlett's children in the same week.
I have added a file with the Gotts entries here
However I recommend you to read the transcription by Bill Atkins below as it gives a revealing insight to what it was like at school in that period.
Gresham School book 1874-1900 transcription