History of the School - foreword

The contents of this section are based closely on the publication 'Meonstoke School, 1842 to 1992 - 150 happy years'. The booklet was researched by Adèle Glenn, Meonstoke's headteacher in 1992 and was edited and designed by Ian and Karen Gilchrist.

Click on the links on the bar above to move through the sequence of pages.

It is difficult to imagine the hard basic life in our village in 1842; cottages with no heat except for the cooking fire or range, no light save for candles or oil lamps, well water and a privy at the bottom of the garden. Most of the population were agricultural labourers and illiterate. Their children could expect nothing but the same - hard work for poor pay.

Even then, perhaps, they were more fortunate than their contemporaries in the mining areas. 1842 was the year that a Bill was passed prohibiting children under the age of ten from working underground.

It was with this general attitude towards the children of the working classes that the Reverend John Hume had his dream of a school to educate the children of Meonstoke. By no means did all the local farmers agree with the outlandish idea of educating the common people. He had a fight on his hands.

But as you will read in this booklet, his perseverance won through and in 1842 our school was born and started on the road to its centenary in 1992. It was not always a smooth journey, with its share of good and bad teachers, overcrowding, under funding and all the ills that can bedevil a small school. But for every step it took backwards it managed two forward.

There is no doubt that it has never been in better shape than it is today. We have a splendid team moving into a new era of self-management, and preparing for the 2lst century.

I like to think that somewhere the Reverend John Hume looks down on our group of bright happy children opening their eyes to the wonderful world of education. And I think he might give a sigh of satisfaction that he beat the bigots of 1842.

June 1992