Reminiscences of Rotherham
A Retrospect of over 60 years
READY WEAPONS
Overcome by numbers. the boys had to defend themselves as best they could and made good use of their headgear. Judiciousiy used. these became formidable weapons, some of the corners of the square tips being tipped with tin. I have known serious injuries inflicted by their use. Fights frequently occurred between boys who later in life, were destined to renew their battles under more important circumstances. Other feuds existed; one between the lads of Wellgate, those aboon t’ pump and those below. These pumps were a source for domestic supply of water, one being situate near the Mail Coach Inn and the other about 20 yards beyond Mansfield Road, on the right hand side of Wellgate.BOARDING SCHOOL
After leaving the Wesleyan day school I went to Low Ash Hall, a school conducted by John Linley, a man well known in Rotherham, partly owing to his having married an aunt of Dr. Birkett Wilkinson, who resided at this period in the Market Place.The school, which stood on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors, several miles from Oughtibridge and near Bradfield, was considered a very good school of its type. It did not, however, escape calumny. When Dickens wrote Nicholas Nickleby he made reference to a school in Yorkshire conducted by Squeers, who starved and ill-treated the boys under his care. This novel with its exposure of the methods of public schools created a big sensation. John Linley had his detractors, and suggestiions were made that the references were intended for his school, his so-called friends going so far as to advise him to take proceedings against the author for libel.
The libellers were the people who offered such advice. No school could have been better conducted. John Linley may occasionally have been severe, but there could not have been a kinder and more considerate master. We had good and wholesome food, with hot meat every day and plenty of it. Mrs. Linley and her three daughters were kindness itself. Linley gave special attention to the teaching of the three R's and the maintenance of a high standard of health and general condition. The physical training given by a Major from Sheffield barracks proved useful to me later on. A schoolmaster should never mention politics in school.Unfortunately Mr. Linley would occasionally do this, and when Anthony John Mundella first sought election in Sheffield, his portrait, with his long flowing beard and prominent nose, was used to hold him up to ridicule . After one of his frequent visits to Sheffield, Mr. Linley returned with a couple of pint pots mugs, on which were printed portraits of Mundella. John Linley exhibited these with high glee and some biting remarks. We were shown that by turning the pots upside down, the portrait became the head of an ass, and underneath were the words: Who is the donkey?. I remained at this school three years
GRAMMAR SCHOOL - A QUARREL
Mv initiation at the Grammar Sehool was a turbulent one. I attended in my boarding school attire, wearing a pair of the black corduroy trousers that were in vogue at the time.Whilst in a class conducted by the headmaster, a son of one of the leading men in the town took objection to my plebeian get-up and manifested this by frequent pinches on my leg. I returned his good wishes by sly kicks at his ankles. Discovering our quarrel, we were called out, admonished and set a writing task. To the uninitiated I had better explain.During our leisure hours we were compelled to write several hundred lines of poetry, and as the judging for the writing prize was based on these lines, it took more of our leisure if we were anxious to secure this prize. Incidentally, I may say that with out exercising undue care, I easily annexed the first prize for writing, though I must confess it was the only prize I did win at this school.
My schoolmates were not content to let this be the only for me. They compelled me to attend after school hours, in the » next