Education in Stradbroke

1587 - Michael Wentworth of Mendlesham, gave Town House to the Parish of Stradbroke, part of which was to be used as “a school room for ever…”
1800 - A part of the schoolroom in Town House was converted into a workhouse for the poor
1818 - In the school there were 17 children and the schoolmaster was paid £20 per year from two charities set up in 1699 and 1746.
1820 – There were a total of 8 day schools in Stradbroke and 2 Sunday Schools A few were for “young gentlemen and young ladies” and were quite expensive…
…the schools for the poor were generally   “Dame Schools” where for a few pennies a week, poor children would get a basic education in someone’s house in the village
1836 – The part of Town House that was used as a workhouse was closed down.
1861– Revd. J.C. Ryle  became Vicar of Stradbroke and began to make changes. When Ryle arrived, the school room building at the back of Town House was in a very poor condition. There were only 15 boys who were being taught by a 77 year old master and their education was described by Ryle as having been “practically useless”
Revd. Ryle and his wife began a temporary school for poor girls and set about reorganising education in the village.
“Mr Ryle at once invited the co-operation of friends and neighbours to enable him to pension off the old master and establish a new school to be adapted to the requirements of both the farmers and tradesmen, and of the labouring poor”
13th October 1862 - Ryle sent off the paperwork to the government to ask for a grant to build the school. 
23rd September 1864 - The Stradbroke School was opened. At Stradbroke 23 out of 40 pupils were farmers’ sons who came in from the neighbourhood,  some on foot, some on ponies or donkeys,  for which stabling is provided at a cost of 1 shilling (5p today) per quarter
1864 - The part of Town House that was used as a parish school was closed down
1913 What was left of the old parish school building was demolished.
More to come...
Mike Readman, June 2011