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 (near 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 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.