NAMES FROM "VICTORIAN LOGS" BY E W GADD, Published 1979 by K A F Brewin Books ISBN 09505570 1 3

This list is a transcription of names from the above book which itself is a transcript of the log books of Northam Boys and Northam Girls School from 1863 to 1877. The author of the book was a former Headmaster of the School who entered the service of Southampton Education Authority in 1924. His introduction and preamble helps the reader to gain an overall view of both national and local times which in turn helps to put the log entries into perspective.

Reading through the logs one is struck by the amount of very serious sickness among pupils and adults, and of the incidents of misbehaviour and truancy being recorded. This could be looked upon as a reflection on the school, but it must be remembered that only unusual incidents of note were recorded, and positive entries outweigh the negative.

Smallpox and cholera were rife in the mid to late 19th century and it makes poignant reading when you appreciate that the only reason many students and teacher's names are recorded is because they died of these diseases, or from scarlatina or measles.

Truancy was usually at the behest of the pupil's parents. The area was still comparatively rural, and the child was needed at home, or the parent could not afford the fees for that week. Other incidents highlight the dissatisfaction some parents felt at the level and severity of the corporal punishment dished out. When a child was sent home or dismissed, it was usually because they had not brought the requisite fee, their behaviour was too unruly, or they were dirty, unwashed, or were unwell.

The Church, the Governors and the School Inspectors kept a close eye on standards, and in one instance the Master in Charge was dismissed. Reading between the lines it would appear that his radical, forward thinking approach to education was not acceptable to the powers-that-were. 

In some cases, the teaching career of pupils can be traced from when they first started school as an infant, through to them becoming Monitors, and then Pupil Teachers (PT) . Pupil Teachers were in charge of and teaching younger pupils whilst learning themselves. When they passed their teaching exams they often started their own schools, and there were several started that way in Southampton.

The book itself and the entries in the logs are a cameo history of the lives of ordinary people of the period, and as they record other things such as various visits by national figures and dignitaries, they give the reader a keyhole view of mid Victorian England and its education system.

There are 409 entries in my list. I don't think I have missed any. 

Vicki Turner