Methodists

[Londonwhay]

After a trip to the records office I discovered that my hubby's ancestors were "Methodist Dissenters". Can anyone give me information about Methodists?

Glenda

[Guy Etchells]

Methodists were the follwers of a denomination founded by John Wesley, overtime various grouping of methodists were formed such as Calvanists, Primitive Weslyans, the church was founded on concerns of social welfare and public morals.

[Geoffers]

After a trip to the records office I discovered that my hubby's ancestors were "Methodist Dissenters". Can anyone give me information about Methodists?
Glenda
Try the Methodist Archives and Research Centre of the John Ryland University Library http://rylibweb.man.ac.uk/az.html
Click on 'M' then 'Methodist Archives and Research Centre'. There are then a series of guides and links which may provide you with useful information.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[Londonwhay]

Thanks Guy & Geoffers,

by following links I found that they were great believers in education, I had wondered why some of the agricultural ancestors has children who were 'scholars'. Their belief's may now explain that fact.

Glenda

[Peter Goodey]

Be careful, Glenda.

You'll find that practically all children of the right age were described as 'scholars' in census returns. I don't have any references to hand but I think this was a standard instruction to enumerators.

[Londonwhay]

Be careful, Glenda.

You'll find that practically all children of the right age were described as 'scholars' in census returns. I don't have any references to hand but I think this was a standard instruction to enumerators.
There I was thinking what enlightened ancestors to provide schooling :( Thanks for the tip Peter. As an aside, another group of ancestors had all their children as 'straw plaiters'.

Glenda

[Geoffers]

[There I was thinking what enlightened ancestors to provide schooling]

Hello Londwhay - in case it is of interest, I've typed a very brief precis of some of the events in education in the 19th century. It doesn't cover everything, but shows that widespread education was available.......

In the early 19th century there were National Schools (run by the
CofE) and British Schools (supported by non-conformists) which were
both supported by parliamentary grant. It is estimated that by 1851
there were some 17,000 National Schools and 1,500 British Schools.
There were also many private schools. There was no early control over
teaching standards.

1833 - An Act required that children could only be employed if they
attended school for a specified number of hours per week. This led to
various industrialists setting up Factory Schools - not universally
successful, never-the-less after a few years about half the children
in large towns/cities were attending Factory Schools.

1844 - Poor Law Commissioners could send children in workhouses to
district schools. These were formed to meet the needs of several
workhouses.

1857 - Children found begging could be sent by Magistrates to
Industrial schools where they were taught a skill or craft.

1870 - Forsters Education Act set up elementary schools in areas where
school provision was not adequate. The Act divided England into
districts containing several schools. These districts were managed by
a board and so the schools were known as Board Schools. As these
schools were secular, they were resented by the churches which ran
their own schools.

Also, children aged 10-14 were subject to the halftime system and
subsequently known as 'halftimers' - in factories they were usually
split into two shifts. One shift went to school in the morning (6AM -1
PM) and worked in the afternoon (1PM - 5.30PM), the second did things
t'other way around.

1876 - An Act established that all children should receive an
elementary education and further restricted the employment of
children.

1880 - Compulsory school attendance between the ages of 5 and 10. A
child could at that age obtain a certificate and leave to go to work.
If a child failed to attend as required, he/she could not get a
certificate and be required to stay at school.

1893 - Schoolools. These were formed to meet the needs of several
workhouses.

1857 - Children found begging could be sent by Magistrates to
Industrial schools where they were taught a skill or craft.

1870 - Forsters Education Act set up elementary schools in areas where
school provision was not adequate. The Act divided England into
districts containing several schools. These districts were managed by
a board and so the schools were known as Board Schools. As these
schools were secular, they were resented by the churches which ran
their own schools.

Also, children aged 10-14 were subject to the halftime system and
subsequently known as 'halftimers' - in factories they were usually
split into two shifts. One shift went to school in the morning (6AM -1
PM) and worked in the afternoon (1PM - 5.30PM), the second did things
t'other way around.

1876 - An Act established that all children should receive an
elementary education and further restricted the employment of
children.

1880 - Compulsory school attendance between the ages of 5 and 10. A
child could at that age obtain a certificate and leave to go to work.
If a child failed to attend as required, he/she could not get a
certificate and be required to stay at school.

1893 - School leaving age raised to 11.

1899 - School leaving age raised to 13.

1902 - Balfour's Act abolished board schools and gave responsibility
for elementary education to county and borough councils.

1918 - Fisher's Act raised school leaving age to 14.

In the mid-19th century, schools were quite widely supported in rural areas, as can be seen from the report of an accident at a small village in Norfolk
http://www.genealogy.doun.org/transcriptions/documents.php?district_id=22&document_id=25608

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[Londonwhay]

Hello Londwhay - in case it is of interest, I've typed a very brief precis of some of the events in education in the 19th century. It doesn't cover everything, but shows that widespread education was available.......
It certainly was of interest Geoffers, in fact it's a keeper and I have printed it out for future reference. Thank you.

Glenda