9th December, 2006
Successes and Pleasures
William Lord was a successful teacher who empathised strongly with his pupils. With only one teacher to sometimes almost 200 children, it must have been difficult to keep order. We know William had a strap - on one occasion it was stolen. We know that he used it, but he did not like corporal punishment and often chided his pupil teachers when he thought they had punished the children too severely.
The school log book reveals that William sometimes acted in ways which seem totally at odds with our perceptions of Victorian school masters.
The following entries illustrate this:
"Played with boys at marbles, and unconsciously took too much time in playtime."
And:
"Played with boys at cricket."
And how about?
"Boys enjoyed all fools day."
These happenings are remarkable when it is considered that the year is around 1870.
But the most memorable image of this remarkable teacher is this:
"I amused the children this dinner time by parading on the velocipede."
On 27th May, 1870, William solved his sewing teacher problem - he hired his wife. His difficulties with pupil teachers were partially solved when he appointed his wife's sister, Margaret Thorburn, as his third pupil teacher.
His nepotism was successful - the results of a scripture exam on 2nd May 1871 are as follows:
"Henry Brown - fair
John Moss - Good
Margaret Thorburn (his sister-in-law) - excellent."
Life After Teaching
On 21st December, 1872, after seven successful years at the school, William Lord resigned as a teacher.
Here is part of his last log book entry:
"This day concludes my career as teacher for the present. This is my first school which I have taught for seven years. I feel very grateful for the success which I have had here. If my successor - my fellow pupil teacher and friend Mr. John Hoyle can improve on what I have done he will have little cause to regret coming to Lamberhead Green..."
So what did William Lord do next?
He didn't teach again. Instead, perhaps through his father in law's influence, he became a farmer. The 1881 census describes William as a "farmer of 65 acres employing 2 men". His farm was at Gathurst - a short distance from Lamberhead Green. The neighbouring farm was held by his father-in-law.
In 1891, William Lord was at Ackhurst Hall farm, Gathurst. He was the father of 7 sons and 2 daughters.
William Lord was a successful teacher. He also appears to have been a successful farmer and family man.