High Ham School was Founded in 1598

The Beginning :

In 1570, in the reign of Elizabeth I, a new Rector was appointed to the parish of High Ham. He was Adrian Shaell, a German, who had been tutor to the sons of Lord Grey in Essex. Now the boys were students and Lord Grey, who held the patronage of this parish, decided to reward the tutor with another job. The journey on horseback, leading a packhorse carrying his possessions, would then take several days.

When he arrived he found a neglected parish, u kept glebe lands and most shocking of all, his Churchwardens could "neither read or write". We don't know exactly where he lived, but it was probably a thatched cottage on the site of the Old Vicarage" on the Green. He set to work to improve matters, with regular Church services, visits to parishioners and tending to the glebe land. Eventually he began to teach people to read, write and reckon. The "reader" would have read the Bible. We know this because he wrote "a memoir" in the back of the Parish Register in both Latin and English.

Why had the parish been so neglected?

In 1531 Henry VIII, angry with the Pope, declared himself head of the Church of England.

Later, needing money, he dissolved the Monasteries. Glastonbury Abbey was the wealthiest. It was sacked, its reassures stolen and the abbot executed. People must have been terrified. High Ham was a Glastonbury parish, b at then became under the patronage of The Crown. It was then sold on to Lord Grey (money raising again!).

Under Edward VI (Henry's son), England was Protestant. He was succeeded by his half-sister, Mary Tudor, who was a feverant Roman Catholic. She executed or burnt at the stake many Protestants.

I n 1558 Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister. She was a fairly tolerant Protestant but there were political pressures and fears of a "Popish plot" together with the threat from Catholic Spain, so she had to take notice of religious differences.

30 years of this uncertainty meant that priests appointed to remote parishes took their stipend but did not come, sending instead, half trained curates to take occasional services. Hence the neglect.

The founding of the School

The first pupils, adults, would have been taught in the Church.
By 1598 Adrian Schaell had a new schoolroom built on the Green, on land belonging to the Lord of the Manor. A nominal rent was paid for the lease of the land. There was a large classroom with a spiral staircase leading up to accommodation for a Master and family above. Over the door was a Latin inscription -

VT PIASH STVDIIS Q VACET GENERSA I VVENTS HANC ADRIANUS SCHAELL SUSTIN RT AERE SCHOLUM 1598.

How do we know that the school continued?

Adrian Schaell died in 1599. The school had been built and was well endowed from money left in his Will. We do not know the name of the Masters. There are large gaps between documented events, but enough remains to be sure the school went on. Most information is from letters etc in the Somerset Record Office, unless otherwise stated.

In 1695 there is a receipt from Wm. Hardie, Master, for his pay.
1698 Francis Osmenton made a further endowment of £50 for the school.
1700 a note on a grabby torn piece of paper refers to money for the school from Anne Edwards.
1703 a document refers to a Bond held for the school.
1742 Another document about school money.
1734 - Lady Phelps of Low Ham Manor brought a case in Chancery against Wm Mowrie and others. It is now clear exactly what the charge was, but from the documents produced, it involved an enquiry into what the Trustees were doing with the school money.
Various Bonds, loans and Mortgages, together with Indentures for apprenticeships from the Hext endowment, were shown to prove that the Trustees were investing the money and paying out interest to the school.
In 1780 (approx) the Parish Council bought the "fee simple" for the land leased, so this now belonged to the village.
In 1787 a Charities Commission enquiry was held, looking into all old Charities, gifts and endowments made in each area. In the 2Charitable Trust illustrations of the West"report (see Jordan) they noted that the Shaell School endowment yielded £6 and the Osmenton money £2.10s. They also noted that there were 20 free pupils and 20 scholars who paid. (boys and girls and needlework was mentioned).
The Commissioners were concerned over the way the money was held by the 8 individuals. They recommended that it should go into a Savings Band. However, this could not be done until a new Master was appointed because the Trustees investment came to £7.10s for the Masters salary, while the Savings Band interest would only amount to £6. This was enough for a provincial schoolmaster.

The Victorian School

In 1862 William Knight was appointed Rector by the patron (now Worcester College).He also wanted to improve things. Apparently wealthy and with influence in the Diocese, he soon has a new Rectory (now Tor House), built with an n new school building alongside it on Glebe land. An imposing Charter, which incorporated Adrian Schaell's Endowment was written. The Church was now in control. The school was regularly inspected by their H.M.I;s (Her Majestys Inspectors). The Trustees were replaced by Managers. The H.M.I's put a brief report in the Log Book, together with a table of results from which a Grant for the Masters salary etc was calculated. While the new school was built the childrens lessons continued in the old school.

The Log Book, first dated 4th April 1864, apparently follows from an earlier record, as it merely comments that "school went on as usual". Mr Samuel Wilson was the Master, but on the 18th July Mr Udale takes over temporarily while new Managers advertise for a Master.

Mr George Sharpe arrives in September. On 28th October the Log Book records that school was dismissed at the end of the week (as usual). The next entry in Mr Sharpe's handwriting is 9th April 1866. "Commenced duties at the New School today. Numbers present 58". What happened in those first five months? The school probably continued as before. It seems unlikely that the newly appointed teacher was paid for not working!

There had been a formal opening on the 4th April with, at 3.00 prayers. Tea followed at 4.30 and then a Concert, which included the choirs from Haydens Creation'. The second half was more secular with glees and songs. There is a programme in the Somerset Record Office.

In the next few days new desks, books,maps for the wall etc arrived. Then the school settled down to some hard work. By 1868 High Ham is "top" school in the Diocese, with many pupils and the Pupil Teacher winning prizes. Mr Sharpe is presented with Leighton's Life of St. Peter in two volumes to show appreciation of his success. All this was despite constant interruptions from visitors. Ladies and Gentlemen from the Rectory came. The children sang or recited. These visitors included a Missionary Bishop from China or Prince Rupert of India.

Then seven years later Mr Sharpe departs abruptly. He is replaced by Mr Harth. The HMI makes a dreadful report and the school's grant is much reduced. Mr Horth makes a bitter complaint to the Managers. These poor results are clearly not his fault. The salary he was employed at £105 is reduced to £75. The Managers scrape up £90 - but this Contract was for one year, so on 1st May 1880 a new Master arrives. The entry in the Log Book rings with confidence. "I, Charles Mathams, Probationer of the 2nd Division, took charge of the School". Which flourished once more. He taught here until he retired 42 years later. He marries, has children. His son Charles Junior, becomes a Pupil Teacher and goes to Cheltenham Training College on a Queen's Scholarship.
During the Matham's years there were many changes in education. Government at last realised their responsibilities for education of the people which had been left largely to the Churches. National Board Free Education was introduced, so at High Ham the last payments were collected, including those for the Union Workhouse) children, brought up by the Beadle.

The wars, Crimean, Boer and World War I, revealed the poor physique and education of the volunteers. This resulted in the introduction of medical inspections, eye and teeth care and the arrival of the "nit nurse".
Such changes are recorded in the Log Book. Free milk is given to some children. Girls evidently suffering from thyroid deficiency have iodine chocolates. The curriculum broadens and more practical subjects are included for the older children; gardening and woodwork for boys, cooking for girls. They had always done needlework!

Epidemics of diseases such as measles, mumps and scarlet fever could close schools and also left the recovering pupils listless and weak.

Children who passed the "Labour Certificate" had been able to leave at 11, but now had to stay on. This was not always popular with parents who hoped the children could earn a few pence working in the fields At times the School Attendance Officer brought persistent offenders to Court, or send home leaflets explaining the Law.

Monitors and Pupil Teachers taught groups of children. Assistant Mistresses took the infants. Miss Sherrin taught them for many years. She was "uncertified" so low paid.

Mr Bennett, then Mr Shaw, succeeded Mr Mathams. In 1935, Miss Smith the first woman head teacher came, like a breath of fresh air! She held parents' meetings, introduced uniforms and organised a bus to collect the smaller children from Henley and Low Ham on wet days. Keen on sport more games were played and children learnt to swim. She had a car and often took children out on Saturdays (they drew lots) to museums and art galleries. These are recorded in the Log Book and include cricket matches at Taunton where "Somerset played Australia, Don Bradman scored 202 runs".

With the start of World War II she coped with the endless to and fro-ng of evacuees, introduction of school meals, 1/3 pint of milk etc.

In 1944 the Education Act made big changes in grouping of children in schools. For several years the children over 11 had been able to chose whether to stay at their village school till they were 14 or go to a Secondary School (at Huish Episcopi - which opened in 1939).. Now the "junior" age group ended for all at 11. The "11 plus" exam and departure to secondary school.

The Elizabethan School :

In 1987 a wall began to bulge. It was realised that the building had become dangerous. The children were rapidly put into temporary hutted accommodation on the bottom of the playing field and a new school was built in a style suitable for the area.

It is still a Church school but welcomes children from all denominations. High Ham people are proud of their school and of the excellent work done there.
Adrian Schoell would, no doubt, be surprised that the school he founded over 400 years ago still flourishes and that his old school house (now a private residence), still stands on the Green.

High Ham is one of the oldest schools in the County.