Sarah Carrick says: I have found out, from a poorly written note, that my husband's great-grandfather was Headmaster of Bangeo School, Hertford. I have no further information other than his last name, Hyatt, and that he died in 1928. I have searched many sites looking for relevant schools in that area, to no avail. I was hoping you could shed some light on which school this could be. I do know that he had two sons, Eric William, and Reginald Earnest, and a daughter Mary Lucy Hyatt. Any information, or direction would be most sincerely appreciated.

 The 1912 Kelly's Directory for Hertfordshire list the following under the heading "Public Elementary Schools" for the Town of Hertford:

Bengeo (boys), built about 1849, for 124 children; average attendance, 130; William Elliott Hyatt, master

Bengeo (girls), built in 1860, for 116 children; average attendance 104; Miss Emma Truss, mistress

Bengeo (infants), built about 1868, for 86 children; average attendance 63; Miss Emma Buckle, mistress.

The three Bengeo schools are controlled by six managers; Rev Richard Coad Pryor M.A. Rectory, Bengeo, correspondent.

The 1890 Kelly's Directory for Hertfordshire lists Bengeo as a separate place, the teachers being William Ellis (boys), Miss Marion Cannon (girls) and Miss Emma Buckle (infants) - so William Elliott Hyatt was not at the school then. A quick check of the 1901 census index did not find him in Hertford(shire) so he probably moved to the school and the county after this date.

The fact that you did not know William Elliott Hyatt's name suggests that you have not yet started on the widely recommended route of tracking back with birth, marriage and death certificates. For instance the birth certificate of any of his children would have given you William's name, his occupation and address at the time, and his wife's maiden name. If any of the children were born before 1901 you may well be able to track them down in the 1901 census, and if they were born later, William's age at death might be sufficient to find him in the 1901 and possibly 1881 censuses. My guess is that you will find that the family only had a fleeting contact with Hertfordshire.

If you can add to the information given above tell me.