I am told that a Day School used to be held in the Old Vestry Hall or rather the Room on the site of the present, so called Vestry Hall, near the Churchyard. The 1st Master I am told was Mr Phillips, buried in the Churchyard, he was succeeded by Mr Cherry who remained several years, then by Richard Wagstaff.

National School, High St South: John Warren, Mr Bowen, Mr Vann, Mr Brown, Mr Fox, Mr Jones.

At Old Vestry, near School in Old Almshouse on present site: Mr Knight, Mr Cherry, Mr Phillips.

Newton Road School: Mr Perkins, Mr Sadler.

Hayway School: Mr Sadler, Mr Perkins (now Intermediate).

General School (British Women’s Room, near Council buildings): Mr Hustwaite, Mr Oliver, Mr Wood.

Misses Smith “Farm House School”: Private.

Mrs Wagstaff, Infant School.

Mrs Wagstaff (Private School): opposite Crabb St at old Farm House belonging to Mr Sartoris (where Jeremiah Knight lived).

Mr Walker who kept a private Boys School in Mr John Claridge’s house, Skinners Hill. This was in 1873-4-5 as I went thro’ to Souldrop. I saw a black boy amongst the others and Mr John Pendred, Auctioneer, of Wellingborough told me he attended Mr Walker’s School & he was there when Lady Robinson was married, eldest daughter of the late F. U. Sartoris Esq. of Rushden Hall, because Mr Pendred told me that he, with the boys, helped to decorate the Church for the wedding, that was when the hand of Goddard Pemberton (tomb on North wall of Pemberton Chapel) got broken off by a person who was trying to see the wedding, the Church was very full, he took hold of hand, it broke.

College School: Mr Wood, Mr Ryal.

Private Girls’ School: Wellingborough Road. Started where Mr Carrington now lives. I had the room built for Mrs J. Enos Smith, my wife. Then she rented the school in Moor Road, where Miss Payne (I think it was) had a school. Mrs Smith had a school for over 20 years, before I married her. She was a pupil of Mrs Brook Samson at Kettering School. Then when Mr Brook Samson was appointed Organist of All Saints Church, Northampton, Mrs Smith went with them to the School House top of Market Square, but it is not a school now, I think, 1929.

One of our early Rectors used to teach as I found out by the Peterborough Book. J.E.S.

There has been a School for young Girls in the small room of the present Vestry Hall, now given up, 1927, by the lady who has a school in the Market Square at Higham Ferrers near Wood St.

Rushden Argus, 23^rd March 1917, transcribed by Kay Collins

A letter re: Mr Charles Cherry, who died at Market Harborough, and was buried at Church Langton on Saturday March 3^rd. His picture appeared in the Argus of March 9^th 1917: The obituary says that he was Schoolmaster at Rushden before going to Church Langton, where he was 43 years, and retired in 1896.

He must have left Rushden in 1853 (64 years ago), his age then being 22, as he was 86 at his death. I have heard mentioned several times as being Schoolmaster here. In Rushden Churchyard there is a stone to the memory of George Samuel Phillips, who died June 24^th 1850, aged 21. This Mr. Phillips preceded the late Mr. Cherry as Schoolmaster in Rushden.

Whilst I was thinking over this interesting link with the old town, a gentleman in the “Argus” called to see me, and told me that he was one of Mr. Cherry’s old scholars. He also gave me the following information for this account:—Mr. Phillips was the first qualified Schoolmaster we had in Rushden, but he only conducted a fortnight as he caught a chill at the opening ceremony, which caused his death. Then came Mr. Cherry. The school at that time was the “Old Parish Room” in the Churchyard, on the site of the present Vestry Hall.

The number of scholars was about 40 or 50. The annual cost, all told, was about £50. Mr. Cherry was followed by Mr. Richard Wagstaffe. After him, Ebenezer Knight. Then followed a General School, with Mr. Hustwaite as teacher, and about the same time the Rev. J. T. Barker established the National Schools. Soon after the Board Schools came into operation. The old scholars still living in Rushden who entered the school when first opened are: Messrs. Henry Skinner, William Clark, Samuel Skinner, John Sargent, Mrs. Kate Freeman, and Mrs. Charlotte Cave. My informant of the above was Mr. William Clark, of Moor-road, from whom I also received the following (kindly given him by Mr. Arthur Mantle): There are at present five blocks of schools, comprising nine departments (with a head teacher for each), about 65 teachers, and 2,250 scholars. The approximate annual expenditure of £6,000, and the approximate annual receipts from Government grants £5,000.

Mr. Clark says the population in Mr. Cherry’s time was about 1,500; now about 14,000. Mr. Cherry married the widow of Mr. Phillips, and the latter died on June 24^th 1850, so, no doubt Mr. Cherry was appointed very soon after. Both Mr. Phillips and Mr. Cherry came from Northampton.

I could not let slip such an interesting connection with historic Rushden as this, which took place 64 years ago, 24 years before Canon Barker came. That was real Rushden in those days. I mean it was before the great change took place, and labour was largely imported.

Thanking my two friends Mr. Clark and Mr. Mantle for the valuable material, I’m afraid roughly arranged, sketch of the late and much respected old master of Rushden School.

Yours, etc., J Enos Smith
March 15^th 1917.

Rushden School In Duck Street

Mr Mather of Wellingborough, Inventor of Instruments (a disciple of Newton, Sir Isaac). Mr Mather was born on October 17^th, 1841, 7^th son of Mr John Mather, farmer, Knuston, Irchester. He first went to John Barry’s School in Duck St, Rushden (so he says). All he remembers of the School was that on the occasion of Ditchford Mills being burnt down, he, with some other boys went to see the fire, and on returning to school they were rewarded by a taste of the stirrup iron and strap which Barry used for he was a shoemaker as well as a “teacher”. Next he went to Higham Ferrers Grammar School & Mr John Sanderson gave him a book to read which dealt with Newton’s discovery in astronomy. Talking of his early days at Knuston Lodge, Mr Mather said his father had a blacksmith’s shop for the purpose of shoeing the farm horses and repairing the implements & young Mather like Newton began to make water clocks, windmills & a machine that could thresh mustard & cress seed which was worked by a billy-goat going round & round. It was the result of an accident in falling into a thrashing machine & being spun round that he discovered the truth of the theory of Newton’s as to the rotation of the earth. This Knuston Farm must be quite noted because Mr Jonathan Austin, who lived at Knuston Farm after Mather, built an organ in the barn there on a new principal [this organ is now in Park Road Baptist Church], it was built on a loft & I think I was about the first to see it, Mr Austin being a great friend of mine & I taught his son John the organ (in Parish Church) who is now one of the great leaders of organ building in America if not the largest. He has been to see me twice, sent me some fine catalogues & illustrations of his fine great organs. His brother Basil Austin went out to Klondyke, now I think he is with John in the organ trade.