BEAUMARIS 1901 CENSUS.

[C.de.Morgan-Spotte]

I am unable to locate the old Grammar School in the census returns for the town. I have tried under the names Beaumaris Grammar School,County School and also under "Institutions",and have tried entering the names of various members of the headmaster's family without any success.It was a boarding school with about 30 boarders at that time with a resident head.Can anyone please tell me where I have gone wrong or was the census conducted during the school holidays when the place was empty? Thanks / Diolch yn Fawr.

[trystan]

Hiya - the Welsh for "Grammar School" is "Ysgol Ramadeg", or "Grammar Schools" is "Ysgolion Gramadeg". You could try searching for those words "Ysgol Ramadeg Biwmaris" (note the Welsh spelling of Beaumaris)

In more modern times, the nearest grammar schools to Beaumaris would be either Llangefni or Bangor (on the main land)

Trystan

[sandbank]

I have to take issue with Trystan. There is no  "Welsh version" of "Beaumaris" - and it certainly isn't "Biwmaris"- which is  a horrible "Welshified" 20th century concoction which makes no sense in Welsh, English or French.

An ancient term  for Beaumaris was "Porth Y Wigyr" ("Port of the Vikings") - but Beaumaris is the correct and proper name in all languages and correctly conveys the Norman/French origins of the town.   

[GillyJ]

Have you looked under David Hughes School or Ysgol David Hughes or Ysgol Beaumaris? Best Bet would be to contact the staff in Beaumaris Library who have all the census discs that can be seen at the library.

[sandbank]

There were various names for Beaumaris Grammar School .

 The Free Grammar School in Beaumaris was founded by David Hughes in 1603. Following its establishment he bought several farms in Anglesey and Caernarfonshire in order to provide a permanent endowment to his charity. Other lands were purchased at a later date and many of these farms were still owned by the charity when the school was taken over by the county in 1895. Look for the word "county" to turn up in the name after this date.

The terms for the administration of the school and charity were set out in the founders will (1609) in which it was stipulated that it was to remain under the management of a body of feoffees - two members of which were always to include the Bishop of Bangor and the Mayor of Beaumaris. It also determined the conditions under which the master and usher were to serve and a codicil to the will gave directions for the distribution of fellowships so that worthy pupils could attend a University at Oxford.

The feoffees appointed the master and usher and also decided what books should be studied. In 1710, they appointed a writing master to instruct the poor boys in writing and arithmetic. Although very few details of the curriculum followed by the boys (no one bothered educating girls in those days)  have survived, the only subjects studied in the grammar schools of the time were the classical languages and literature.

In 1889, the Welsh Intermediate Education Act established secondary schools in Wales and England and the school was taken over by the County Authorities in 1895. Three quarters of the endowment was appropriated by the County Education Authority to be shared with schools in Holyhead and Llangefni. However, the school retained the title, traditions and culture of the original grammar school. It also admitted about 12 boarders who lived at the school throughout each term. 

Pupils would only be admitted to Beaumaris Grammar School if they had passed the scholarship at the age of 11. Children who were incapable of passing this test were placed in the local "Secondary Modern" school - which concentrated on less academic education and practical courses.

In 1953 the Labour controlled Anglesey County Council  became the first LEA in Wales and England to introduce the disastrous comprehensive system. To the consternation of parents and children Beaumaris Grammar School was forcibly amalgamated with the Secondary Modern School .  This began a slow but sure destruction of academic standards of the Grammar School and a deterioration of the quality of teaching staff.

The coup-de-gras was administered by the anti-Beaumaris, pro-Llangefni socialist county council which closed the school in Beaumaris totally, demolished all the historic buildings with the exception of the school hall built in 1603 and moved the school lock stock and barrel to Menai Bridge. Having pocketed the endowment left by the founder of Beaumaris Grammar School, Anglesey County Council then went on to administer the final insult by calling the new comprehensive school in Menai Bridge "Ysgol David Hughes" - a travesty of the founder's public-spirited intention to put high quality education within the reach of the poor - but able - children of Beaumaris.   

[GillyJ]

It was very interesting to read the information regarding the history of the old David Hughes school and it was indeed very sad when the old school was demolished but on the other hand at least some of it was retained which stands as a useful reminder to the old pupils and provides a useful area for the townspeople to use.

For a short while the old buildings were utilised as an outdoor centre and many young people benefitted from the service provided.

Those of us who experienced the new school and the old school at Beaumaris were lucky enough to have a sound academic start and many of the strong teaching staff embraced the new facilities of a new school with modern labs and airy classrooms.

Nothing could replace the atmosphere or the history of the old school and many have attended reunions since the old school shut its' doors to pupils for ever but the memories are very precious.

[Penmon]

Hi C.de Morgan-Spotte.
Unable to send you a PM - your PM box is at its limit.
However, the info you require is as follows; (More info on the school can be found on the following link   http://www.penmon.org/page13.htm   )

COUNTY SCHOOL BEAUMARIS - CENSUS ENTRY 1901
Evan Madoc Jones 33, Schoolmaster, born Seaforth, Lancs
Kate Jones 30, wife, b. Liverpool
Geraint Wynne Jones 4, son, b. Beaumaris
Arthur Elwyn Jones 3, son, b. Beaumaris
Thomas Harris 27, Boarder, Schoolmaster, b. Carmarthenshire
Rhys Richard Williams, 27, Boarder, Schoolmaster, b, Llanon
Beatrice M. Wilson, 24, Boarder, Governess, b, Rusholme, Lancs
All bilingual apart from Beatrice who only spoke English


Boarders
 Places of birth listed below the names
Hywel Ivor Jones, 16,
Owen Herbert Williams, 17,
Richard Alun Rowlands, 15,
Horatio Glynne Davies 16,
Ceredig Jones, 15,
John Richard Jones, 15,
Robert T. Jones, 15,
Thomas J. Rowlands, 15,
Harold W. Pierce, 12,
William Shaw Rowlands, 13,
Francis C. H. Llewelyn, 14,
Ellis Stanley, Edwards, 15,
William Griffiths, 15,
Thomas A. Bell, 14,
George W. O. Routledge, 10,
Robert D. Rowlands, 14,
 London
Liverpool
Bryngwran
Shrewsbury
Gaerwen
Bodedern
Cemaes
Menai Bridge
London
Llanarthaiarn
Marlborough
Mold
Holyhead
Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock
Wrexham
 
Jane Jones, 23, domestic housemaid, born Llangaffo
Mary E. Williams 16, domestic kitchenmaid, born Bangor
John Richard Owen, 12, boot boy, born, Beaumaris

[sillgen]

Hi
These replies have revived a very old post from 2004 by someone who has only made the one post so the pm system will not work.  They have not been on rootschat since 2005 so I fear they are unlikely to see all this new information.   I hope it will be useful for another researcher in the future though.
regards
Andrea