Sunday Schools
Histories of 19th century education are closely tied to histories of religion. Before the introduction of free state schools the only form of education for many poorer families was provided by the church – usually in the form of a school on a Sunday. Thus allowing for a normal working week and providing a useful activity on most people’s day off.
From 1826 we have a diary entry penned by Mr Charles R. Freeman of Stowupland Hall, ‘pd Kerry for thatching Meeting House in part 6s 0d, Mr Prentice pd the rest’. Mr Wm Prentice paid a rent of £4 for the cottage which is generally assumed to be what is now known as Pendle Cottage along the A1120.
Founding of Congregational Sunday School.
This press cutting from 1936 puts the founding of the Congregational Sunday School to 1813, ie 30 years before Stowupland’s Holy Trinity Church was built and a few years after the first Congregational Chapel was in use. NL believes it was started by John Bayly Tailer of Stowupland Hall.
An article in the Suffolk Chronicle of July 27th 1867 reported that the Stowupland Sunday School that was established upwards of seventy years ago by Bailey Taylor, and held ever since in the old school room, was resigned on Sunday last, and removed to the chapel on the Green, which through the generosity of Manning Prenitce esq., has been placed at the teachers disposal. The school with the larger amount of accommodation will without doubt continue its useful career and extend in great measure its sphere of usefulness’.
From the 1820’s a thatched cottage along todays A1120 (from the 1960’s it was known as Pendle Cottage) was used as a chapel, Sunday school and even sold some essential food produce.
In 1833 there was an independent Sunday School with an attendance of 117 and it had a lending library but this may have been at Stowmarket Church. At that time Stowmarket church was used for worship by the people of Stowmarket and the people of Stowupland.
Before 1842, when Hollingsworth built Stowupland Church he had a less ambitious plan for a school building in Stowupland in which church services could be held for local people. The Marquis of Bristol offered to donate money to assist in building a church and the Freeman family gave land and money for a church and a school.
1869 – The Post Office Directory tells us that Stowupland had a population of 986. ‘The Rev Frederick Cookson is the church minister and there is a Sunday School. As well as Holy Trinity Church there is a chapel that is used by Methodists and Independents’.
In 1917, the Stowmarket Weekly Post (6th December, 1917) published the following reminiscence by a local resident. Unfortunately we don’t know when Mr Robinson was remembering back to.
“In a thatched cottage on the left of the highway a short distance away from Stowupland Parish Church reside two of Stowupland’s oldest inhabitants, Mr. & Mrs. Edmund Robinson. …… There was a Congregational Sunday School held in the two cottages that adjoin his home. Mr. George Stevens, brewer, of Stowmarket, was the superintendent of the Sunday School. There was a little pulpit, and Mr. Stevens would preach on a Sunday evening, and there were good congregations, and the building was often filled with worshippers.
The Sunday School was lighted with candles, and they employed a ‘ candle snuffer.” Stands were fixed in the wall to hold the candles. In the Sunday School the work was confined to Scripture lessons and singing of hymns. Mr. John Stevens, a brother of Mr. George Stevens, came and preached. The Sunday School had at that time been established many years. Through the efforts of Mr. Thomas Prentice, of Stowmarket, the present Congregational Chapel was erected.
The Sunday School was continued for some time after the chapel was built, and was afterwards removed there. The old cottages in which the Sunday school was held were purchased by Mr. F. Harwood, of Tuddenham Hall, and they were converted into cottages.”
Neil Langridge adds ‘George and John Stevens owned the Stowmarket Brewery in Station Road and also in the 1850s owned The Retreat in Stowupland.
Mr. F. Harwood of course owned Stowupland Hall which was let out. He probably already owned it (in the 1880s) as all was Stowupland Hall land around here.’
The Rev Leslie Brame in his manuscript ‘As I Remember It’ has shared some interesting memories about Stowupland Congregational Sunday school around the 1920s (p27).
He remembered going into the Chapel at 10.00am on a Sunday morning when ‘ the “forms” were already arranged to make provision for about eight classes, with a central aisle and a chair at each class for its teacher’…at the end of the Chapel building was a rostrum capable of holding up to five people, and in front of the rostrum was the American organ, played by Mary Carter (sister of George Carter) , but later by Kittie (Brame).’
He remembered everyone had their ‘own red-covered Sunday School hymn books …pocket-sized and bright red.
He remembered ‘we would have a prayer, a reading from the Bible, a collection for our pennies, more singing, then divide into our classes for comments and questions and general instruction…After about twenty minutes, we joined all together for another hymn and a talk by one of the senior teachers, finishing with a closing prayer and hymn.
The teachers he remembered were Miss Mary Carter, Mr Arthur Reason and Mrs Maskell (a farmer’s wife from Earl Stonham).
He concluded ‘I must have taken in some good instruction…because in the annual national Scripture examination I did very well.
Each June the Anniversary of the Sunday School was celebrated. For 8 weeks before the great day the children practiced the songs they would be expected to perform. Song sheets were available for the children to buy for a few pence, a new song sheet was produced each year – the tunes were written by Colin Sterne and the lyrics by Ernest Nicol!
On the big day the hall would have been decorated and 2 wooden frames (4 feet across)known as ‘The Star of David’ were decorated by Ruth Brame with roses from her garden were hung at the front of the hall.Six tiers of seating were arranged at the front for the school children.
Whilst this is not Leslie’s Sunday School treat it is a 1920s outing of Stowupland ladies by Charabanc. We are gratedul to local resident Joyce Gardiner for sharing this photo from her family collection. (Tuddenham Hall was the family home of Mr Harwood who at the time owned Stowupland Hall)
