Teachers in 1850

[Trix]

Hi
My ancestor Charles v Garland was living in Wavertree and was a teacher in 1851. He came over from Ireland. Anyone know where people trained to be a teacher at this time please? Or any way i might find out where he taught.
Many thanks
Fiona

[dickiesam]

Hi Fiona,
As far as I am aware, at the beginning of the 19th century there were no formal teacher training in the UK. As long as one could prove they were literate, they could teach and there was a 'teacher certification', which was introduced by Queen Elizabeth I.

A system of formal training was introduced in the UK in 1848 and there's a PDF document about it here:
http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=& ... 8644,d.ZG4

PDF format documents need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them. That utility is usually on most computers as standard.

[MaryA]

On many censuses you come across teenagers who are classed as "pupil teachers". It seems as though they would probably be the brightest in the class and used as assistants until they were considered old and knowledgeable enough to be considered a teacher in their own right.

[Hilary]

I've taken this from my talk on Victoria education Records

1846 government drew up programme for teacher training
At 13 years old pupil could be apprenticed as pupil teacher for 5 years
1877 age raised to 14 years old
Each year pupil teacher took an exam and received government grant if passed
After 5 years could gain a scholarship to a Teacher Training college or study for their Teacher’s certificate whilst still working or remain as uncertificated


My great great grandfather was a teacher for a short period of time until the school employed a certificated teacher this was 1857 - 1861. He had no training but could read and write.

a little more from the National Archives
1. Pupil-teacher training

Before the Education Act 1902 the training of teachers was largely carried out under a pupil-teacher system, first established in 1846. It had received various modifications throughout its existence, but by the turn of the century elementary school children were selected as pupil-teachers and received three years concurrent training and education. They were prepared for the Queen's/King's Scholarship Examination (later the Preliminary Examination for the Certificate) at 18. Originally, both their training and education took place at their elementary schools under the supervision of the headmaster, but after the Elementary Education Act 1870 their instruction was undertaken at separate establishments called pupil-teacher centres, run by local school boards, with teaching practice at their elementary schools. Surviving pupil-teacher centre files are in ED 57.

Successful Queen's (King's) scholars had the opportunity of attending training colleges for 2 or 3 years. These were residential colleges, mostly Church of England, run by voluntary societies with some government subsidy and modelled on Battersea Normal School.


Whitelands College Roehampton was establisehed in 1841 by the Church of England to train teachers.

[Hilary]

To get an idea of where he may have taught
1. What religion was he?
2. Then look at a map of the time to find the nearest school of that denomination
3. Then investigate if a log book for that school exsists at livberpool Record Office
4. Go and look at the log book to see if they are mentioned

If 3 doesn't exist you will just have to go with "possibly taught at _____"

Just another thought I discovered 2X great grandfather taught because of his occupation (schoolmaster) on his children's baptisms and where he taught by his abode (Birkdale Schools) ie the schoolhouse.

[MaryA]

Quite a comprehensive reply thanks Hilary, very informative.