Rhostyllen

A history through pictures

The History of Rhostyllen School 1900 - 1992

The children’s attendance at school was a major pre-occupation of the Headmistress. The 1876 Education Act recommended the setting up of school attendance committees to enforce regularity.  She noted as early as May 1900: “It is remarkable how badly children so near school attend on a wet day.   Only four present this morning”.   The children were already in school on the day of a thunderstorm: “Terrific thunderstorm on Wednesday p.m. Children fearfully alarmed”.   On 20th December 1901 she wrote: “I gave a Christmas card to each child present.  As an inducement to better attendance I intend to give occasional special prizes like a doll or a ball”.  In August 1902 19 children had their photographs taken as a reward for full attendance since January.  In April 1909 the Head had another incentive: “At last after many attempts the children can dance the Maypole and are delighted with their performance.  ‘Not to join the Maypole’ is what brings up the Friday afternoon attendance”.

Many absences could not be helped, however.  Mrs Bishop wrote on 14th June 1901: “Fever prevalent.  Nine cases sent to hospital.  Homes disinfected by sanitary officers.  One of the boys died in the school holidays”;  October 1902: “Still a few cases of measles”; February 21st 1904: “I have received a notice from the Rural district Council requiring the Bersham Board to shut Rhostyllen Infants School for three weeks in consequence of the continued epidemic of whooping cough”;  May 21st 1909: “Eight cases of Ringworm in the Babies’ class.  Children to be kept at home until safe from contagion” {Miss Bishop always referred to the Nursery section as the Babies}.  On 22nd  October 1909 things became more serious: “29 cases of measles.  School to be closed for a month until Monday 22nd November”.  Bronchial pneumonia was mentioned in 1915 and the school was again shut in July 1918 owing to an epidemic of whooping cough.

It was recorded that Mrs Bishop visited  Bersham School for meetings on certain occasions.  She also paid a visit to the Liverpool School Board to gain information on their Religious Education syllabus.  On 19th June 1902 she wrote: “Received the Teacher’s Handbook of the Bible  and the Board resolved to adopt the syllabus similar to the Liverpool Board”.  She noted at one point: “Received the grateful tidings of £10 increase to my present salary”.  Her saddest entry was on 29th May 1900: “The Master is dead and we buried his body today.  I have known him for 25 years and mourn for him” {She was referring to Mr George Bristow, Head of the Boys’ Department at Bersham, who lived in the School House.   Details of his illness are given under ‘Bersham School}.

Important dates in history were also recorded in the logs:

• March 1st 1900 “Loud hurrahs for the relief of Ladysmith”  {During the Second Boer War in South Africa Britsih forces were surrounded in Ladysmith for 118 days and lost 3000 men. The siege was finally broken on 28th February}.
• May 24th 1900  “ Queen’s birthday.  Half day for her birthday and the relief of Mafeking” {Queen Victoria was 81 and died eight months later.  The town of Mafeking was besieged in the Second Boer War for 217  days.  The lifting of the siege was a decisive victory for the British and a crushing defeat for the Boers}.
• June 1st 1902 “Proclamation of peace in South Africa” {The Boers surrended and the peace treaty was signed on 31st May}.
• June 26th 1902 “Coronation of Edward VII” {His coronation was due on this date but two days earlier he was diagnosed with appendicitis; he had a radical operation and recovered.  The coronation actually took place at Westminster Abbey on 9th August}.
• May 13th 1910 “The King is dead.  The school will close on Friday 20th for the funeral” {Edward VII died on 6th May aged 68.  He was buried at Windsor Castle on 20th May}.
• 23rd June 1911 “This week is a general holiday in commemoration of the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary.  Children were treated to tea and received a commemoration mug.  On Friday they assembled in the yeard and sang national songs (Welsh and English) and had a good display of flags”  {The coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on 22nd June 1911.  Esclusham Below Parish Council issued a commemorative cup and saucer to mark the occasion}.

• 14th July 1911 “Thursday was a national holiday in commemoration of the Investiture of His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, at Caernarvon”  {Edward VIII was officially invested as Prince of Wales on 13th July 1911.  In 1936 he became King but abdicated}.
• 6 June 1912 “School closed on Wednesday.  Gorsedd held in Wrexham to proclaim the Welsh Eisteddfod of 1912”.

Mrs Bishop would see the school through the four years of the First World War before her retirement in 1920.  Her first reference to the war was in October 1914: “The little ones this week brought vegetables to send to Belgian refugees – this distribution consisted of 23 lbs of potatoes, ½ lb of onions, 2 lbs of carrots, ½ lb of onions, a very large turnip and cabbage”.  In January 1916 the children engaged in a “‘White Cross Crusade’ to help disabled soldiers and their dependents belonging to the Welsh troops”.  The concert appears to have been very well supported:

The children sold flags for the Red Cross Fund in October 1916.   The school was closed on June 14th 1918 so that the teachers could fill in forms in connection with Food Rationing for the National War Service.  There was a National Celebration for Peace day on July 19th with a parade throught the village to welcome returned soldiers, who were entertained to lunch by the Rhostyllen Parish Council.  The children distributed cake to them and had their pictures taken with various groups.  

Mrs Bishop’s resignation statement was entered on 29th March 1920: “I have this day ended my position as Headmistress of this Department after 34 years 9 months of continuous service.  I wish my successor every possible success and good wishes in the future”.   Censuses from 1861 onwards give us a good insight into Mrs Bishop’s life:  she was born in 1854 in the Foundry House, Rhostyllen.  Her father, Richard Griffiths, was a brass and iron founder employing four men.  In 1871 she was described as a ‘Milliner’ still living at home.    Ten years later her home is Long Ashton, Somerset, where she was married to William Bishop, who was twenty years older than her.  He had three chidren all born in Staffordshire.  By 1891 she was back home in Rhostyllen living with her mother, Margaret Griffiths, in Bank Cottage (present Poplar Road) with three children of her own, two born in Somerset and the third born in Rhostyllen.  Even though the form stated ‘Married’, her husband was not listed.  Her occupation was now ‘Teacher – Board School’.  She was a widow living at 109 Henblas Road on the next census and was  Headmistress of Rhostyllen Infants.  The final listing showed her aged 57 living at Sunnyside, Henblas Road, when she still had another nine years to go as head of the school.

The new Headmistress of the Infants School made her first entry on June 1st 1920: “Miss A Rogers commenced duties as Head Teacher”.  She was to continue until August 1955,  when she could well have been 70 years of age.  Former pupils born during or just after the second world war will remember her and the staff of that era:  Miss Lilian Edwards {who retired to Henry Street; her grandfather was the smith in Bersham, her father, Bartlem, the sub-postmaster in Bersham in 1901}, Miss Morfydd Jones {who lived at 70 Henblas Road; her uncle was Llewelyn Penri Jones – see links under ‘Contact us’}, Miss Eileen Price {who became Mrs Whormsley and finished teaching in 1954}.

Miss Roger’s entries in the log book give us a good insight into the history of the times. On March 1st 1921 she wrote: “School closed all day in honour of the celebration of the stones being laid in connection with the District Council’s first housing scheme”.  On 4th March she continued: “Ceremony for stone laying.  Afterwards they came to school and oranges and biscuits were distributed – given by Sir Watkin Williams Wynn”.  Two coal strikes were mentioned – May 3rd 1921: “Owing to coal strike the Education Committee granted 6d per day for each child for two meals.  Breakfast at 8.30 and dinner at noon”. There was a later entry stating that children were fed for the last time.  On 6 March 1935 she wrote: “Free milk is to be given to the children whose parents are affected by the strike at Bersham Colliery”.  This was discontinued on the 10th of May.

An HMI report on Miss Rogers early in her headship was full of praise: “The Headmistress who is a very energetic and enthusiastic  teacher is to be warmly complimented on the way she has raised the efficiency of the school”.  She had noted some new initiatives; one concerned physical education: “As drill is to be taken for a short time every afternoon, the timetable has been slightly altered”.  Another was the introduction of a savings scheme in 1922: “Commenced a ‘Savings Bank’ to encourage thrift”.  On 8th April 1924 £31.4.8 was deposited, with interest amounting to £1.11.10.  This interest was put to good use in November 1926: “Received Rocking Horse.  Price £2.  Carriage 4/-.  £1.11.10 grant from Savings bank Account and the rest given by staff”.  

Prizes and awards were given out each summer at the end of the school year.  The categories included full-time attendance, conduct, progress and even 90% attendance.  In July 1928 local neighbours became involved: “Prize Distribution: eight bars of chocolate given by Mrs. Williams, School Street, to the best scholars and Mr Edward Williams presented four half crowns to four scholars who had cleaned their teeth regularly throughout the year”.  Dental inspections had been introduced during the previous year! In July 1920 Mr Lewis, the vicar, and Mr Edward Williams attended the prize distribution. Mr J R Williams, one of the School Managers, presided over the ceremony in 1937.  Below is an example of a Prize Distribution list from 1919:

In October 1924, there were 161 children on the books and attendance was noted as 85%.  Children were often granted an official day or half day off school: in December 1913: “A holiday was given in the afternoon – the occasion was the church parade of His Worship the Mayor”.  The school was used for the General Elections in December 1923 and in May 1929 {both resulted in hung parliaments}.  Another day off was given for the Village Fete in July 1929.  School started at 1 pm on November 2nd 1923, so that children could see the Prince of Wales visiting Wrexham and the Coronation of George VI on 11th May 1937 warranted another day off.  The opening of the Rhostyllen Senior School next door on 21st April 1937 gave children a free afternoon.  On November 17th 1926 Miss Rogers wrote: “School closed on account of the funeral of Mr Francis Blew, a late manager” {See family history under ‘Bersham School’}.

Miss Rogers, just like her predecessor, liked to note royal occasions in the logbooks.

• February 27 1922  “The school will be closed tomorrow on account of Princess May’s wedding”  {actually Princess Mary, the daughter of King George V and Queen Mary}
• November 2 1923 “Prince of Wales visits Wrexham.  School re-opens at 1 pm to enable children to see prince” {Edward VIII who became king in 1935 but abdicated}
• November 29th 1934 “School closed all day on account of HRH Duke of Kent’s (Prince George) wedding   {He was the fifth child of King George V and Queen Mary.  He died in an RAF aeroplane accident aged 39 in 1942}
• May 6th 1935 “King George V Jubilee Day.  Children had tea and a Jubilee tot” {25 years exactly after the death of Edward VII.  Many public parks were opened with the name Jubilee Park}
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• May 11th 1937 “School closed a.m. for coronation of George VI” {His brother Edward VIII abdicated and George became a reluctant King: the coronation was actually on the 12th May.  Remember film ‘The King’s Speech’}

In the introduction to the third logbook there are references to the various members of staff who worked at the school.  Miss Rogers retired on the 31st August 1955 and Miss Lilian Edwards took temporary charge until the new Headmistress could commence duties. Susannah Vera Rowlands took up her post on the 10th January 1956.

The Senior School opened in 1937 and following the R A Butler Education Act in 1944 became a Secondary Modern School with the leaving age raised to 15.   Ysgol Bryn Offa opened in 1960 and became the Secondary Modern School for the whole area.  The Senior School in Rhostyllen was remodelled to take in all the Junior children and Bersham School was closed.

A Recollection from the 1930s:        February 2014

Mrs Dorothy Price, formerly of Rosemary Crescent, Rhostyllen, and now residing at Meifod, Gardden Road, Rhos, recalls spending all her education years in three Rhostyllen schools. She was born Dorothy Griffiths in 1926 and lived in Church Street.  She attended the Infants School under Miss Rogers, moved across the yard to the Junior Girls under Miss Mitchell and stayed on at the new Seniors School under Mr Pugh when it opened in 1937.

Only children in Mrs Price’s particular school year could have attended the three schools in the village without spending some of their time in Bersham:  those born after her would have gone to Bersham for Juniors from 1937 and those older than her would not have had a mixed Seniors school in Rhostyllen.

The building of Rhostyllen Junior Girls School

The Bersham School Board decided in February 1903 to build a new school for the Junior Girls in Rhostyllen and to leave only the Junior Boys at the Bersham site.  4127 square yards of building land were purchased from the Rector of Hope for 1/- per yard in School Street, Rhostyllen, next to the recently built Infants School.  The total price for the land was £206.  They appointed Mr Thomas Morris as architect and part of the brief was the provision of a Cookery and Laundry Room in the yard between the Infants and Girls blocks.  The school would provide places for 160 girls.

In July of that year, the plans were approved and an advertisement placed for tenders. Seven were received, ranging in price from £2983 to £2420.  The lowest was accepted from Mr Thomas Jones, Smithfield Road, Wrexham, on condition that the building was completed by the end of April 1904.  It was stipulated that the architect would inspect the site three times per week during the construction.  

The Board gratefully accepted a gift of free land from Messrs Lassell and Sharman to build a four feet wide path from Henblas Road into the new school.

The total cost for the whole project was £2909.  The Board borrowed this on security of school fund and the local rate, to be paid back on an annuity of 30 years @ 3 ½% interest.

The school was formally opened on 9th June 1904 by Mrs Wilcoxon, wife of the Chairman of the Board.

Circa early 1900’s-Possibly the opening day of the Infants school?

Circa early 1900’s-Possibly the opening day of the Girls School?