Andrew Reade (andrew.reade
@t ntlworld.com) of
Hatfield, Hertfordshire, wrote: As a recently appointed Head Teacher at Hormead C of E Primary school I am
attempting to find out a little more about the history of Great Hormead and it's
school.
I believe that the school was founded around 1849...and I have found log books
and punishment books going back to 1923 whilst clearing out a cupboard. I am
aware from an internet search that Hormead was written about in the
Hertfordshire Countryside magazine at least once, possibly twice by a man with
the surname "Ford"
I understand that you have an extensive collection of Hertfordshire Countryside
Magazines. Are you able to track down any articles about Great Hormead and if so
could copies be made available for me to view?
I am pursuing other avenues as well...most specifically the local church records
(we are a church school) and also the archives kept at county hall...many old
log books may have been passed on to them for safe keeping.
As a result of your request I have added two
pages to the Great Hormead page - descriptions of the village in
1863 and
1931. The first is from a
trade directory and there is a good collection of
trade directories at
HALS (County Hall, Hertford) and most (at least after 1850) will mention
the school and name the head teacher. HALS also has an excellent collection
of Hertfordshire books, and original records of the village. It has a
manuscript map of the village (along with Little Hormead and Furneaux
Pelham) made in 1828. They will also have Ordnance Survey maps and
undoubtedly have some old photographs.
The Booklet
Bringing Literacy to Rural England records that the National
Society for the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established
Church records that a grant of £50 was made to Great Hormead for a school in
1815.
The
1841-1901 census is available online at
Ancestry (and in part elsewhere) and provides vivid snapshots of who
lived in the village and what they did. Census returns are often used in
teaching local history in primary schools because the records are easily
understood by children of that age. Ancestry can be accessed free online from
any Hertfordshire library - and it may also be available to Hertforshire schools as well.
I don't know if you can get free access to the
1911 census.
The
National Archives contains records of the school from the 19th century -
but I have not searched their online index in detail. I have worked on
similar records for other Hertfordshire Schools - and found both plans for
buildings and inspection reports from the 19th century.
I attach scans of two articles on
Great Hormead
from the Hertfordshire Countryside by A J Ford. I suspect that there are
many other articles and also pictures, and HALS has an index (it was on
cards but I believe it is has been computerised) which should be much more
comprehensive than anything I have.
Let me know how you get on - I am always
interested in the use of historical records in teaching.
