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Llanelli Schools

The Blue Books    Other Schools in Llanelli   19th century School Life

Teachers in Llanelli and District in 1841

Teachers in the Borough of Llanelli, 1851

Schools according to John Innes

1730 Mr Maurice’s School This school was said to be celebrated in and around Llanelly.

1818 Copperworks Charity School - A British & Foreign Society School. This was a Charity School for Copperworks, Caemaen and Box Colliery employees based in the Copperworks and the Returns for the Free School for March and April 1818 show that the Copperworks was a school of 59 pupils with an average attendance of 28 children housed in a storeroom in the yard. After a few years local industrialists and gentry subscribed sums of money which eventually led to the establishment of the Heol Fawr School, later known as Copperworks School.

1830-1831 Academies & Schools listed in Pigot’s Directories

Reverend John Jones - Boarding & Day School

David Davies, Master - National School

Margaret Phillips

Letitia Williams

William Williams

1835 Academies & Schools listed in Pigot’s Directory

Louisa Jane Brown

John Evans

Grylls - a Day School

Eleazar [sic] Morris

Miss King, Mistress - National School

William Williams

1844 Academies & Schools listed in Pigot’s Directory

Reverend David Evans’ School, Church Street

Francis Francis’ School, Swansea Road

William Marks’ School, Prospect Place

William Williams’ School, Oxford Street (? Oxen Street)

George Boulter's Infants School, Prospect Place (Master, George Boulter; Mistress, Ann Boulter)

William Marks, Prospect Place

National School Wern (Master, John David Evans; (Mistress Esther Evans)

School Life in Llanelli in the 19th century

Education in the 19th century concentrated on the three R’s (reading writing and arithmetic). Other subjects included geography and music.

At the Copperworks School, girls (including the infants) took sewing lessons and the boys took drawing. John Jones also arranged classes in machine drawing, physics and chemistry, and the examinations were supervised by the Kensington Department of Science. A product of these classes was Alfred Daniel, the celebrated chemist, who became a Fellow of the Royal Society.

At Market Street, “the Principles of Horticulture” were included in the curriculum.

1843 Schools were centres for social activity and  concerts were regularly held in most of them. Before the Mechanics’ Institute was established and the Athenaeum was officially opened in 1858 lectures were held in schools.

In 1843 at the Llanelli Infant School, the Revd. T. T. Lynch, William Chambers and others anticipated the immediate formation of a large and efficient music class and by April the same year there was a class of 110. Mr. Williams, “Professor of Music in the Town”, took some of the classes.

1864 The Llwynhendy master lost some of his children to the Bryn in 1864, because of strictness and many left Llanelli School on 11 April 1864 for the same reason. Sometimes the children were “severely beaten,” and there were examples of a parent asking a teacher to flog his child.

1867 In January 1867 when David Adams first went to the Bryn he did not resort to corporal punishment but before long he had to change his mind. As a contrast one of the regulating principles of the Llanelli School was that “the moral nature of the pupils was not to be blunted by undue corporal punishment.” A real attempt was made to adhere to this principle, and for a while corporal punishment was abandoned. The children, however, took advantage of this, and the entry for 28 November 1866 indicated that an example had been made of them.

1864 School holidays were the highlight of the school year and most of the schools had a holiday for Llanelli Fair on 5 May and 30 September. The master of Market Street warned his children on 4 May 1864 that they should not to be absent on the following day. It was noted that forty-two children were present on the afternoon of 5 May.

1866 Very often illness was the cause of low attendance: measles, whooping cough, smallpox, and scarlet fever in 1863, 1865, and 1871. Many schoolchildren and adults suffered from the cholera epidemic of 1866. The entry in the Llanelli School logbook for 16 July 1866 reads: “Owing to great alarm caused by numerous cases of Asiatic cholera, the attendance today is considerably less than last week. Two children belonging to this school were attacked and the cases proved fatal.”

Members of the school committee and especially the ministers visited the schools regularly. Leading figures of the town would also send their agents and one such event was recorded in the Llanelli School log book on 12 December 1866: “Col. Stepney’s agent called and paid £2 17s 3d. towards education of poor boys. He also selected 12 widows’ sons to have a new pair of boots each at the Colonel’s expense.”

There are not many references to the children’s games but it is more than probable that cricket was a favourite with the boys. As well as attending local matches there were some excursions to Swansea. One school logbook noted in January 1868 that: “Nearly all the children are running about the neighbourhood carrying an apple, standing on three stilts and having sprigs of evergreen stuck on the top; they persist in wishing everybody a Merry Christmas although Christmas has been gone for a week.”

1868 The Copperworks School and the National had a holiday for the flower show in August. A half-day or a full day’s holiday was given for special events such as the Eisteddfod, chapel meetings, opening of churches, sales, and the funerals of well known people. There were unofficial holidays for potato and garden setting, an accident at a colliery, ploughing matches, market day, and the Swansea Wool Fair, held on July 2nd. Other attractions were:  The circus; a visit of the “notorious Mace prize fighter” on 19 May 1868; Edward’s Zoological Collection on 7 May 1868 and a visit by Tom Thumb on 3 May 1868. The master of Llanelli School commented on Tom Thumb’s visit: “Very small school this afternoon, Tom Thumb in town, and like small people in general creates no small degree of stir and bustle.”

Logbooks of Pentip ( National School)  showed that occasionally non-academic subjects were taught. On 28 February 1868 it was recorded that “Signor de Beyson, Professor of Gymnastics went through a series of athletic exercises in the afternoon, and gave the children a practical lesson.”

Mr. Hancock of Park Street was said to be a good musician and proficient in Latin but the discipline at this school was unusually lax. The pupils would dare to escape out of the window before the teacher would arrive for the Latin class. In most schools the pupils would not attempt such escapades because discipline was strict and sometimes very harsh.

1870 One local tradition that was frowned upon was the custom of April Fool. The National School logbook has an entry for 1 April 1870: “Caned a boy this morning for making an April fool of another. Took the opportunity of giving a moral lesson on this evil custom.” The same logbook for 1 May 1868 stated: “Erected a Maypole this afternoon around which the children sang and played to the great delight of themselves and visitors.”

Entries in the school logbooks covered all sorts of situations. One mother kept her daughter home from school and sent her to Kidwelly for a change of air because she had pimples on her face. A young lad was killed by a waggon near his own door whilst playing.

1880 In July 1880 children were given a holiday to celebrate the Sunday School Centenary.

Teachers in Llanelli and District

From the 1841 census

David Treharne (35), Tyfry

Mary Brabyn (37), St David’s Street

John Rogers (50), Seaside

James Williams (50), Hall Street

Sarah Lush (15), Hall Street

Elizabeth King (50), Castle, Hall Street

David Jones (30), Thomas Street

Judith Thomas (60), Caeperson

Maria Marks (50), Prospect Place

Louisa Marks (25), Prospect Place

Emily Marks (13), Prospect Place

Sarah Paget (30), Prospect Place

Mary Chappel (64), Mill Street

William Williams (50), Old Brickyard

Benjamin Howell (35), Water Street

Thomas Thomas (64), Kilwrfa Row

Lettice Thomas (68), Kilwrfa Row

Francis Francis (45), Mill Street, Were

David Morris (30), Wern

Margaret Morgan (50), Wern

Joseph Jones (23), Rwyth Fach

Teachers in the Borough of Llanelli, 1851

From the 1851 census

Samuel Phillips (14), 72 St David’s Row, born Llanelli

Mary Barber (63), 188 St David’s Row, born Cornwall

Mary Brabyn (41), 201 St David’s Row, born Cornwall

James Griffith (15), 202 St David’s Row, born St Clears

David Williams (28), 242 Heolfawr, born Pembrokeshire

John Dd. Evans (42), 58 Ann Street, Wern Devon

William Esau (53), 70 Caefuwch, born Llanboidy

Maria Marks (63), 109 Park Street, born Birmingham

William Marks (64), 109 Park Street, born Llandefaelog

Emily Buckston (22), 110 Park Street Middlesex

Henrietta Buckston (20), 110 Park Street, born Middlesex

Augusta Buckston (18), 110 Park Street, born Middlesex

Maria Rees (24), 137 Rhandir, born Abergwilly Workhouse

George Boulter (39), 34 Prospect Place, born Sedbury

Anne Boulter (53), 34 Prospect Place, born Sydenham

David Nicholas (30), 38 Prospect Place, born Kidwelly

William Williams (59), 144 Old Road, born St Clears

James Williams (61), 38 Hall Street, born Pembrokeshire

David Thomas (72), 165 New Road, born Narberth

Marella Mortimer (38), 203 Cae’r Elms, born Plymouth

Schools according to John Innes

John Innes in Old Llanelly said that there had always been many schools of various types in Llanelly and plenty of teachers. Retired Master Mariners established schools for boys, and ladies who had drawn a blank in the matrimonial lottery established schools for girls. Many of these schools were set up in private houses all over Llanelli, some in the Sea Side district, the Wern, Town Centre and the outlying districts such as Felinfoel.

1741 The local school at this time had 44 scholars.

1748 Lewis David, the Welsh Schoolmaster, one of the teachers at one of the schools lately founded by the Revd Griffith Jones of Llanddowror died.

1793 William Maurice, who taught school in this town for upwards of 50 years, died aged 70.

1805 A Sunday School was formed by Charles Nevill.

1806 A Schoolroom was built adjoining the parish church.

1809 Capel Newydd founded.

1837 National School established on the Wern.

1840 Heol Fawr schools were established.

1841 Independent cause established at Bryn.

1847 The Mechanics’ Institute was established at Park Street. The Blue Books on Welsh schools, which included Llanelli, was issued and caused a storm of indignation throughout Wales.

1848 Market Street and Felinfoel schools were established.

1850 Dafen school was erected.

1851 Prospect Place school was erected.

1863 Bryn and Felinfoel National Schools were built; Athenaeum Private School was also founded about this time and it later moved to Coleshill Terrace.

1864 Memorial stone of Park Congregational laid.

1867 Pentip (National School) built and replaced the Wern School which had been built on unsafe foundations; New Dock School erected.

1868 Five Roads School built.

1870 Llwynhendy and Roman Catholic schools were built.

1871 School Board established; poll headed by James Buckley.

1875 Three schools were built at Old Road; Spitty and Pontyates.

1877 St Paul’s Memorial School built.

1879 Machynys School built.

1880 Sunday School Centenary celebrated.

1882 YMCA Established.

1882 School Church Llwynhendy opened.

1882 Salvation Army opened

1884 St Paul’s School opened; 1884 St Peter’s School foundation stone was laid.

1885 Old Road Infant School built.

1886 Lakefield school and Prospect Place Infant Schools built.

1889 Furnace Schoolrooms opened; Christchurch Schoolrooms opened; Robert Linn, Athenaeum School, died.

1891 Higher Grade School opened.

1897 Free Libraries Act adopted; Intermediate Schools opened.