Introduction
- Pitsligo School headteacher’s
log book , 1874 - 1912
Pitsligo School was located
in the coastal parish of the same name in Aberdeenshire. The
school had been the parish school and, following the
implementation of the 1872 Education (Scotland) Act,
was taken over by the newly-formed Pitsligo School
Board. Until 1886 it was under the supervision of
a graduate headmaster, and catered for pupils from
the age of five years to university entrance. Thereafter,
a female certificated teacher provided an education
for pupils up to the age of thirteen years.
The log book provides
a detailed account of daily life in a nineteenth-century
rural school in north-east Scotland. It gives the
names and duties of the headteacher, pupil teachers
and monitors, and contains copies of the annual inspection
reports from 1875 to 1909. Details are also given
on the school curriculum, including textbooks used,
and a scheme for religious instruction is mapped out
on page 167. The log book is a good source for measuring
the impact of the Dick and Milne bequests, the schemes
which significantly raised the standard of education
in north-east Scotland. Pitsligo School benefited
from grants from these bequests until the change in
the school’s constitution in 1886; the school’s curriculum
and staffing level then changed markedly.
The log book is also an
excellent source for life in the parish. School attendance
is carefully noted by the headteacher, including the
reasons for the absence of pupils. The primary occupation
in the parish was agriculture, then a labour intensive
activity that often involved school-age children.
Thus the rhythms of the farming year, of sowing, harvesting,
agricultural shows and six-month contracts, come through
clearly in the log book. Being close to the fishing
port of Rosehearty, the impact of the seasonal herring
fishing is also evident. Some events of national
importance are marked, such as Queen Victoria’s diamond
jubilee in 1897 (page 298) and the funeral of King
Edward VII (page 467). More frequently mentioned
are the local events which made up the social and
religious life of the parish: communion fast days,
the visiting circus, Sunday School picnics and the
celebration of New Year instead of Christmas.
Contents
There are 503 pages in this volume. Each image comprises
two pages. Click on the links in the 'page' field
below to go to a particular year in the volume. Alternatively,
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1 and work your way through the volume. Please
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