19th Century Day/Boarding Schools

[Ponytail]

Noticed how many "Schools" there are in the Directories. When I found two advertisements 1852  for day/ boarding schools for "young ladies" it reminded me one of my grandmothers attended such a school albeit in Carlisle in the 1890's, where she studied until her late teens. Seeing her work folder and report for her final year it amazed me how well educated she was, even learning French and a very accomplished artist. It makes me feel sad, after leaving school, she never had paid employment or carried on with her art, but spent her life looking after both her own and parents home as they aged. Was her education wasted? after all it cost her father a considerable amount. 

Made me wonder how many other young women never achieved their full potential. Some probably started these "Schools" but some don't carry on for long, the two I found being an exception. Perhaps marriage came along who knows.

Firstly I'll record the two "Young Ladies" School Advertisements., then thought it would be interesting to compare 3 Directories Academy lists to see who continued over a 7/8 year period 1849 - 1856 to include male and female education.

 

Both Advertisements from Whites Directory 1852.

Miss Ireland, Mackenzie Place, Broomhall. 

Whites Directory 1849 

Not listed, probably in London

Whites Directory 1852. 

Ireland, Miss. (& Mrs) ladies' boarding school, Mackenzie Place, Broomhall. 

From The Acadamies Listing

Ireland, Miss Chtte. (Charlotte) Mackenzie Place

Whites Directory 1856

Not recorded. Perhaps she moved back to London. 

 

Miss Hannah Dickinson, "The Grove" Philadelphia (Bacon Island) with a French lady residing in the house. 

Information from "Dickinson in Sheffield in 1845" 

Whites Directory 1845

Dickinson, Harriet, Hoyle Street School, h. Rawson Spring Whites Directory 1849 or Cross pool (p. 105 & 325) Upper Hallam

 

Whites Directory 1849

Dickinson, Harriet, Hoyle Street School, h. 28 Matthew Street. 

Acadamy listing :

National School: Wm H Beet, Har. Dickinson and Ann Kay, Hoyle Street

 

Whites Directory 1852

Dickinson, Miss H., day and boarding school, The Grove, Bacon Island. 

Street listing's under Philadephia. 

Listed next after Philadelphia Steelworks, 

Dickinson, Miss, school

 

Whites Directory 1856.

Not listed. 

 

"The Grove" after the Flood

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;y00943&pos=6&action=zoom&id=48068

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;y00944&pos=7&action=zoom&id=48069

Couldn't find a Flood Claim for Harriet possible she'd moved on or died. 

Free Bmd, quite a few possibilities for the death of Harriet.

 

[Ponytail]

Whites Directory 1849. 

 

 

Whites Directory 1852.

 

Whites Directory 1856.

 

 

[Roger Arevalo]

It always makes me nervous whenever it's said someone's education was wasted, because of how many people will take that to mean they should never have been educated at all, rather than something more challenging should have been found for them.

Even if somebody never 'does anything' official with their education, that knowledge is still in there, along with any changes to their personality that aquiring it brought about. It would likely have helped her in multiple ways even in the domestic sphere, and her inner life would have been completely different for it.

And if reincarnation is a thing, her soul would take the imprint of that education into its next life.

There are countries where education is largely detatched from what its recipients are expected to do in life. The United Arab Emirates are drowning in oil money, but because they import most of their workforce, there's not a lot for the native population to do. So the monarchy funds people's education, up to multiple-PhD level, just to keep young Emiratis out of trouble. On the other end of the scale, it's an offical Cuban boast that even their sex workers have PhDs. In their ideology even an economy circling the drain is no reason to let education slide.

[Ponytail]

Whether it was wasted is open to debate, my maternal grandmother had many talents but either through not being encouraged to persue them further or perhaps her own lack of confidence to use them, I'm told she just did what was expected of her, to clean and cook and became a very depressed person later in life. 

Even my mother was surprised when she found the folder of work at the standard of education received.

It can be down to the individual taking advantage of every opportunity that comes their way.

My paternal grandmother having only the basic education afforded to a girl born in 1884 to a not so well off family; out to work at 11years, went through life trying to self educate herself. Given the same opportunities as her "in law" and having the drive and determination to succeed in anything she did, would have made more of the opportunity. 

There again in the big scheme of things... my grandparents wouldn't have married and my parents wouldn't have been born. 

 

 

[Ponytail]

Pitsmoor College, Andover Street. 

Messrs. Jenkinson and Gidlow. Offering a sound Commercial and Classical Education. 

Whites Directory 1879.

Gidlow, R. G., schoolmaster, (Jenkinson & A) Andover Street. 

Jenkinson, J Ashford, (J & Gidlow) h. 13 Christchurch Road. 

Pitsmoor College, Andover Street, J. A. Jenkinson and R. G. Gidlow, principals. 

 

[Ponytail]

2 hours ago, Ponytail said:

Pitsmoor College, Andover Street. 

Messrs. Jenkinson and Gidlow. Offering a sound Commercial and Classical Education. 

Whites Directory 1879.

Gidlow, R. G., schoolmaster, (Jenkinson & A) Andover Street. 

Jenkinson, J Ashford, (J & Gidlow) h. 13 Christchurch Road. 

Pitsmoor College, Andover Street, J. A. Jenkinson and R. G. Gidlow, principals. 

 

 

Class Photograph, Pitsmoor College, Richard George Gidlow, master. 

 

Information contains names. 

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;t00848&pos=1&action=zoom&id=31324

 

Melling White and Son, decorators Nos 202, 204 Fox Street, formerly Pitsmoor College a private school built about 1880

s22274 dated July 1991

 

[Edmund]

The Pitsmoor College was opened on Monday 20th July 1874 by James Cox of Laburnum House, Birkendale. The school was probably in the Sunday School building belonging to the Andover street Methodist New Connexion Chapel. The College was one of many similar ventures opened in various towns by Mr Cox, who was reputedly an excellent teacher.

In July 1879  J.A. Jenkinson became Principal and was joined in partnership by R.G.Gidlow. but Jenkinson soon left to run the Middle Class School at Nether Edge. In early 1878 Gidlow bought Elgin Place (or House) a detached house on Rock street near the junction with Fox street with plenty of land to build a new school building. The new premises had room for a limited number of boarders after reopening in January 1880.

Richard Gidlow disappears in late 1887, he seems to have split up from his wife Fanny, and may have returned to Ireland. In early 1888 the Elgin House premises, with their recently constructed single story detached school room to the rear with an entrance from Fox street failed to sell at auction, and many of the contents were sold separately.

In early 1889 Mrs Maltby re-opened the school but throughout 1890 it was up for sale again.

Mr & Mrs Louis Armitage took it on from February 1891 and were principals up to early 1897 when they closed the business and moved to Lilford College, Scarborough.

In 1923 the premises was numbered as 202 Fox Street, the Joiner and Shop Fitter's premises of Alfred Carter.

[Ponytail]

Thanks Edmund, once again you've found the information and the story to tell. It will help to get a closer date for the school photograph. Now... can we find a descendant from one of the boys. That may be asking too much, but you never know.