The Rootsweb message board for Hertfordshire recently received the following message from mcmillanfamily1: There is an entry for a Samuel(l) Youngman aged 12 in the 1841 census 435/5 Page 13 at Ware School. Does anyone know anything about this school and whether there are any records for it that might help me trace this person.

There were a lot of schools in Ware at the time - and the following were listed in the 1839 Pigot's Directory:

• BRITISH SCHOOL, Star Lane - Joseph Dines, master
• CHARITY SCHOOL (boys' and girls') Wademill - Geo. Harris, master; Mary Ann Mardell, mistress
• FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, Church yard - George Moor, master
• INFANTS' SCHOOL, French Horn lane - Ann Linster, mistress
• INFANTS' SCHOOL, Wademill - Mary Pee, mistress
• Josleyn Thomas (boarding) Wareside
• Malin Susan, High st
• Medcalf Eliza and Martha, High st
• NATIONAL SCHOOL, French Horn lane - William Wells, master
• Pavey Ann, French Horn lane
• Pugh Mrs Jane, French Horn lane
• Salter Edith, High st
• Wiggens Mary, Mill lane

To find out which of these schools Samuel Youngman was at it is necessary to got back to the 1841 census - and it turn out that he was in School House, the master being Thomas Josleyn - and the school must have been the boarding school at Wareside.

Normally small private schools leave very few records - but this school turns out not to be what it seems from the census and directory listings. It was also known as Wareside Grammar School - and there is a lengthy account of the school with photographs, including information on John Josleyn and his son Thomas who were masters there,  in the book Wareside - A Miscellany of Histories.

A potted history shows that Wareside Grammar School was established in 1614. By the end of the 18th century the endowments were insufficient for the master to earn a good living, and it was operated as a boarding academy - with Latin and Greek being dropped for subjects of more relevance to the sons of the merchants and farmers who went there. By the second half of the 19th century its endowments were virtually worthless, and standards had dropped. The charity was wound up and the school closed in 1890.

Because it was a charity there are documents referring to the school held at HALS (see Access to Archives web site). However the brief online entry doesn't mention any school log books - so there may be no records of individual pupils.

See Also Ware Church of England School

October, 2007

Anna van Dijk (rajk_vandijk @t yahoo.com) of The Netherlands writes: My Gggg grandfather was John Josolyne (b. c 1762), probably born in Essex, he married Mary Mumford and turned up in Wareside sometime in the 1790's.  His son Thomas (b. c1801), was born in Wareside (the family seems to have had strong links to the Independent Chapel, Dead Lane, Ware.)  Thomas married Mary Ann Sims whose family, at one time, resided at Mardocks Farm.  A letter of proposal from Thomas to Mary can be found in the Ware Museum.  It seems Thomas was left in his father's will Ingletts Hall (although I cant find any record of the Hall ever existing) and cottages in Tatling Town. After the death of Thomas in 1848 the Josolyne family moved to London. John Josolyne also had a brother who was a school master, his name was Thomas (b.circa 1752) and he lived and worked in Harlow until his death in 1821.

The book Wareside - A Miscellany of Histories contains a picture which includes Ingletts Hall, close to Holy Trinity Church and has a number of references to Tatling Town. A Google search reveals an Ingletts House, Wareside - post code SG12 7RR - which is presumably the Ingletts Hall in question. Google Maps shows a satellite view of the building illustrated in the Wareside book at that post code just south of the church.