Thursday, August 01, 2013

Kelmarsh school and village institute


Kelmarsh village has dwindled over the centuries - I suspect much of it has disappeared as the grounds of the Hall have been landscaped.

All that remains are Colonel Lancaster's cottages, St Denys where his grave is and a dozen houses along the road to Harrington.

But they are worth looking at, because you will there find what was once the village school and institute, though they have long since been converted into private houses.

Once more, the Welcome to Kettering page on the village has the story:
One of the first line of cottages on the Harrington road has a porch. This was the first school in Kelmarsh, built in 1850. Evidently there was trouble in the village in 1849 and Lord Bateman, owner of the village and occupant of Kelmarsh Hall, gave all his tenants notice because they had lapsed into bad habits. They were called to the Hall where they were told to attend church regularly and live in peace with each other, conducting themselves honestly and soberly. 
A school would be built so that children would learn to read, write and sum, and a charge of 1d per child per week would be made. Notices would be withdrawn if the tenants signed an agreement promising to behave themselves in the future!

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