SCHOOL
In 1819 there was no school in the parish. The
rector, H. Soames, sent some children to
Chipping Ongar Sunday school and a few
others to a neighbouring day school. (fn. 73) By
1832 he had established a Sunday school in Shelley;
25 children attended it in 1832 and 17 in 1833. (fn. 74) No
day school was later founded except a 'ladies' academy'
in Shelley House (fn. 75) and until the Education Act of
1870 only a few Shelley children seem to have attended
King's Trust School in Chipping Ongar (q.v.). (fn. 76) In
1872, however, the Education Department decided
that the 33 Shelley children needing an elementary
education could most conveniently obtain it if Shelley
and Chipping Ongar were formed into a single School
District and King's Trust School were enlarged. This
policy was adopted and Shelley children then attended
King's Trust School, their expenses being paid by
means of voluntary contributions. In 1897-9 the
rector found it very difficult to collect these contributions. (fn. 77)
Footnotes
| 73 |
Retns. Educ. Poor, H.C. 224, p. 270
(1819), ix (1). |
| 74 |
Nat. Soc. Rep. 1832, p. 80; Educ.
Enquiry Abstr. H.C. 62, p. 288 (1835), xli. |
| 75 |
White's Dir. Essex (1863). This
school was probably founded not long before 1863. Cf. White's Dir. Essex
(1848) and Kelly's Dir. Essex (1859). |
| 76 |
E.R.O., D/AEM 1/1/1. |
| 77 |
Min. of Educ. File 13/66. |