Dean Barwick School

The original school was erected in 1678, with money from Dean Barwick's Will, and a room for girls was added in 1824. The Will also provided an annual stipend for a Curate provided he lived' a pious and peaceable life and that he keep a schoole within the said hamlet, and teach the children of the inhabitants gratis'. (1)

A new boy’s school was built 1874 and a new girl’s school added in 1876. In 190 1 the Reverend R. C. Hutton proposed that both schools should merge into one, and that it become an elementary school. The attendance was then 28 boys and 35 girls, and this was eventually accepted. Larry Walling lived at Halecat Cottage and went to Dean Barwick School. Here is his version of the school during the second world war. The school had large Victorian furniture. There was long plank of wood with pen grooves and another long plank to sit on, and it was very hard. There were no desks and books were kept on the floor.

The (boy’s) toilets were very primitive. It had five buckets with five seats on them. The contents were disposed of by emptying them on rocks in the woodland by Halecat Farm; this had been done through many generations.

Rollie Mark (in about 1920) recalls one day during a long hot summer, having taken a drink from a tap (attached to a trough) said the water tasted foul. An investigation of the trough revealed the bodies of three dead squirrels (red) He wonders if there were any more upset tummies in the class!

We had nature walks up Yewbarrow once a week in the summertime. It was usually the last period on Thursday afternoon so it would not matter if we were late. George Boll was the master and we called him 'gaffer' and once up Yewbarrow we asked a few questions, which he duly answered, and then he said it was break time. We played cowboys and Indians and after a while he fell asleep and sometimes we were late back in school. When he woke up he would be furious and would lash out with his stick if he caught us with a grin on our faces, and he would sometimes cancel the next nature walk. On another occasion the 'gaffer' was giving us a lesson in French one day, by teaching us the words of a French song, according to Margaret Warner. It was the day that France capitulated during world war two. 'That's enough of the bloody French' he said, and he refused to teach it to us any more.

Once we thought we would have some fun. Some mice had been caught in a top-hole box trap, and we thought we would put them under the harmonium, which was seldom used. After about ten minutes a girl shrieked there was a mouse under the harmonium, and George Boll said we would have to flush them out, and got on his knees and poked about with his stick. By this time the boys had joined in bashing

about with brushes or anything else they could lay their hands on. Normality was returned once again, and after a time of thinking about it, the gaffer said 'these bloody mice were planted, and you boys will own up' and he lined us all up and caned us on the hand, not a word was spoken. Afterwards we all thought it had been worth it considering the sport that we had experienced.

Margaret Warner (nee Mark) remembered George Boll took them on summer walks that went past Bleacott. Although not recognised as a shop in the modern sense, it used to have trays of chocolates and sweets just inside the door. Mr. Boll used to pay for the penny bars of chocolate for the children. Margaret remembers that Mrs. Boll put on Gilbert & Sullivan shows such as Iolanthe and The Pirates of Penzance in the village hall for everyone to enjoy.

In 1941 Mrs. Boll also made the school dinners, using the vegetables that the children grew on the land. During the war the government advertised 'a dig for victory' campaign, and every available acre was dug up for growing food. The children were very pleased to grow potatoes, peas, carrots, beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower, and onions. These were grown on what is now the tennis courts. Several mothers and others helped with the meals and 9,453 meals were served in the first year.

In 1943 the Dean Barwick Trust purchased a playing field, and in June 1953, Coronation Day, the children were given a beaker by Westmorland Council and a propelling pencil by Witherslack School. In 1956 the school Open Day was attended by over a hundred parents and friends, while Mrs. M. Stanley opened the former school garden. It consisted of a new playground and tennis court, a sandpit, a climbing frame and a boating pool. The cost of £240.0.0 was provided by the Parents Committee and the Witherslack and Meathop Sports Committee. In 1956 a swimming pool was opened by Mr. W Ellison.

Margaret Warner remembers that a chart was kept by a Miss Atkinson marking the first day snowdrops, primroses or wood anemones that were presented to her that year. There was always keen interest in who would be first. It was a great achievement to be the first on the list.

To day, as we near the next millennium, the school is totally different to the way it was in years gone by. It has modern furniture, totally modern conveniences. It has modern teaching equipment such as computers and tape recorders and it is bright and clean with the children's latest projects displayed on the walls, and it still has a very happy village atmosphere about it.

On Founders Day they have the day off. After showing off their skills to their parents and governors and representatives of the Dean Barwick Charity, which still supports their school, they sing and perform a little play about Dean John Barwick and the role he played during his lifetime and how his Will founded their school.

Head Teachers of the 20th Century

1900-1929 Thomas Simmons

1929-1950 George W. Boll

1950-1970 Alan B. Prickett

1971-1983 S. Rowley

1983- Mr. 1.1. Smith

1. Thompson B, L. (1965) Dean Barwick and His Will' CWAAS p240-278