THE closure of small schools across Powys over the last few years would have horrified our Victorian ancestors.

During the 19th century it had been a battle to get parents to send their children to school in the first place - particularly in rural Powys.

When Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837 few ordinary working class children went to school and instead helped their parents by working to earn some much needed money.

Many children who had to work during the week were taught to read and write at Sunday Schools run by local chapels and churches.

In the countryside this meant hay-making and harvest, planting and digging up potatoes, beating for the pheasant shoots of the rich, picking and selling berries.

County Times: Old School Community Centre, Cwmdauddwr. Picture by Jaggery/Geograph.

Old School Community Centre, Cwmdauddwr. Picture by Jaggery/Geograph.

In the early years of the 19th century, the landowning classes sent their sons to boarding schools which they paid for while their daughters might have a private governess to teach them at home.

Two societies were also set up to run schools across the nation.

One was called the National Society, and it aimed to teach the Anglican religion to the poor. The other was called the British and Foreign Society, and it promoted education that was not centred on religion.

Although these societies encouraged poorer families to send their children to school, a great many of them still could not afford it while many Powys schools remained cold and often diseased places.

County Times: Former school in Llanfihangel Rhydithon. Picture by Phil Halling/Geograph.

Former school in Llanfihangel Rhydithon. Picture by Phil Halling/Geograph.

In 1847 the controversial Blue Books report blamed the Welsh language for the reason behind poor education in this country - summarising the language kept Welsh people "inferior to the English in every branch of practical knowledge and skill."

In 1870, the Government passed an Education Act which tried to provide for a full education for the children of poor people and establishment of school boards and in 1880 attendance for children aged 10 and under was made compulsory and this was raised to 12 in 1899.

County Times: Elan village school. Picture by Phillip Perry/Geograph.

Elan village school. Picture by Phillip Perry/Geograph.

Importantly this had also been the decade when education became free.

Despite rurality, village schools often fared well.

An 1874 report on Bwlchysarnau School in Abbey Cwmhir read: 'I am glad to find this school, situated as it is in a remote part of the country difficult of access, so well attended. The result of this regularity is that the children acquitted themselves in a creditable manner at examination."

County Times: Former village school in Bleddfa. Picture by Ian Capper/Geograph.

Former village school in Bleddfa. Picture by Ian Capper/Geograph.

However elsewhere inspectors were less impressed, both by pupils and their parents.

In 1882 one log book from St Harmon School reads: '"On Thursday afternoon punished Thomas Evans for bringing wild bees into school and letting them out amid the class in lesson time, this being not the first time it had been done."

Young Thomas received several licks from the class cane.

An 1885 report from one states: 'In going to Pantydwr on Monday evening after school, I met with Evan Reese, Bryndraenog and his son, a boy eleven years of age with a load of turf. I told him he was breaking the law by keeping the boy from school, so he gave me a heavy blow with his fist on my cheek. I had a club in my hand, and he had to feel the weight of it a few times on his back, so he scampered off as fast as he could, making a very ugly face."

County Times: Former board school, dated 1870, in the street, Cwmbelan. Picture by Ian Flaherty/Geograph.

Former board school, dated 1870, in the street, Cwmbelan. Picture by Ian Flaherty/Geograph.

CARAD Rhayader Museum and Gallery includes a fascinating school book from the era. featuring careful sums and some charming calligraphy of "the double rule of three" which is finding an unknown value where five rather than three other values are known.

County Times:

Given the attention paid to the calligraphy, as opposed to the sums, it is believed believe that the student in question was more of an artist than a mathematician.

With thanks to the Powys Digital History Project.