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View Item » Boys At Worthen School: About 1887

The headmaster is a Mr Thomas Jones who, according to my grandfather, was something of a disciplinarian. The boy with his hand on the head of another is George Blakemore, who lived in Worthen all his life and died in 1966. The boy whose head has the hand on is probably my grandfather, Fred Blakemore. George's other arm is around another brother, Lloyd Blakemore. And yet another brother, Bert, is on George's left. The school was built in 1851, when Jones was appointed headmaster. The initial management committee was dominated by vicars [3 of the 5 members of the committee] and this was a church of England school. Their preponderance was less by 1903 when there were also delegates from the county and parish council on the committee. Even then all members had to confirm, publically, that they were members of the church of England; and this same committee, also overseeing Bromlow school, dismissed a head there for 'unsatisfactory and deteriorating religious instruction'. Jones retired as head of Worthen school in December 1890. In c1900 a new classroom was added fo 30 children, and in 1907 a further classroom was added. Can you identify any other boys?

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