Huntingdonshire Schools

Elementary and grammar schools were set up in Huntingdonshire on a voluntary or charitable basis from the 16th century onwards, and the 19th century saw the founding of many schools by both Anglicans (National Schools) and Nonconformists (British Schools). From 1870 rate-supported schools were set up by school boards in the few areas remaining where educational provision was poor. The Education Act 1902 transferred responsibility for all schools to County Councils.

A useful introduction to the pre-20th century records of schools is W.B.Stephens and R.W. Unwin, Materials for the Local and Regional Study of Schooling 1700-1900 (1987). General histories include Curtis and Boultwood An Introductory History of English Education since 1800 (1964) and Charles Birchenough History of Elementary Eduction (1938). 

Huntingdonshire Archives has records of about 120 Huntingdonshire schools, 41 City of Peterborough schools, and 11 Soke of Peterborough schools. Most records include log books, admission registers, managers minutes and so on, although for a handful of schools we only have architects' plans or reports. Some schools have kept their old log books and admission registers for educational purposes. Records of pre-1870 parochial and charitable schools in the Peterborough area are held at Northamptonshire Record Office.

Cambridgeshire Schools

One of Cambridgeshire’s oldest surviving schools is the King’s School in Ely originally founded in 970 as a song school for choristers and from the mid-15th century, the Cathedral Grammar School . Wisbech Grammar School was established by 1379, Raye’s School at Cheveley, in 1568, the Perse School in Cambridge in 1618, Soham Grammar School in 1687 and March Grammar school around 1717.

Numerous charity and endowed elementary schools were set up across the county from the mid 17th century including Jenyn’s Free School at Bottisham, Lord Orford’s School at Chippenham, Catherine Needham’s School at Ely and the Old Schools at Cambridge. The Charity Commissioners’ Report on
Cambridgeshire published in 1837 supplies detailed histories of the various educational foundations as well as providing commentary on their current
state.

More widespread provision of elementary schooling in the county came about with the establishment of the British and Foreign and the National Society in the early 1800’s. A survey of 1818 by Brougham’s Committee showed that whilst over a quarter of the parishes in England had no school, the proportion was only about an eighth in Cambridgeshire

Henry Morris, Chief Education Officer for Cambridgeshire introduced the village college system. Opening in 1930, Sawston was the first village college designed to provide schooling for students between 11 and 15 years of age as well as acting as a community centre for adult education, recreation and social life.

Records

Our record holdings can vary very much from one school to the next. Many independent schools retain their records e.g. the Perse and The Leys in Cambridge, The Kings School, Ely and Wisbech Grammar School.

The most useful sources for tracing information about individual pupils are generally admission registers, but these may not always survive. Log books, introduced in 1862, are valuable for the general history of a school, attendance, syllabuses, changes in staff but are not usually particularly forthcoming about pupils.

Guide to Education Records in the County Record Office, Cambridge compiled by Angela Black, 1972 is available for purchase on our website and includes a very detailed introduction to the history of education in Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely but please contact Cambridgeshire Archives for up to date information on our holdings for individual schools.