It would be good to know more about these pages. They date from about 1885 and do come from Market Lavington School.

First we have a composition. It’s an interesting little tale about spreading cleanliness and no doubt ragged boys and filth and squalor rang true with many of the youngsters.

Composition in a Market Lavington School note book dating from around 1885

It is fictitious, for there was no Tom Rogers in Market Lavington.

Geography – learning about Scotland

Another page shows a map of Scotland, probably a totally alien area to the young cartographer who produced it.

Sums were hard back in 1885

Some arithmetic – adding vast sums of money in pounds shillings and pence. Sums of money of that size were probably as alien to the pupil as was the map of Scotland.

It’s a very small sample, but we gain some idea of what went on in school about 130 years ago