| Description | This register, on 90 numbered folios, was opened on 29 September 1792, and records admissions of boys (ff 1-12) from April 1787 until February 1812, when the boys' school was discontinued; and admissions of girls (ff 45-85) from August 1786 to July 1889.
There are also alphabetical indexes (of boys, ff 15-17, and girls ff 20-38) of the same names. The information given, in columns, is: name, exact date of birth, date of registration, name of person recommending, date of admission if any, and date due to leave. In this last column the actual date of leaving is usually inserted, but it is often left blank between c1850 and 1870. The reason for leaving is sometimes stated after 1812, e.g. removed by parents, expelled (with reason), 'gone to France' (one only), or died. Many registered were not admitted but marked 'passé l'âge', having passed the prescribed maximum age of admission (12) before their turn came. On ff 13v-15r, there is a register of girls from 1851 (same names as in the main register, but in slightly different form); this was not kept up after 1866.
On two unnumbered folios at the beginning are:
i) A list of those holding the five keys to the record chest
ii) The total numbers admitted to the School (203 boys up to 1792, 208 girls up to 1789), with the numbers admitted annually, 1798 to 1811
iii) Note that the names from 1786 to 1792 were taken from 'the old register'
On f 90 is a list of children 'at present in the school', 1819, with additions to 1821. Tipped in between ff 30 and 31 are two receipts (?1869 and 1876) for certificates returned to parents. |