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Education, Schools, &c.

The parliamentary papers of 1820 exhibit a return of the state of education in this county. The return was ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, April 1, 1819. There were then forty-two endowed schools, exclusive of the Harpur free-schools at Bedford, giving instruction to 2,066 children, and possessing a revenue of £1,825 per annum : of these schools four were on the plan of Bell or Lancaster, and had in them 655 children. Of unendowed day-schools the return was as follows :

National and Lancasterian schools : 4 schools ; 319 scholars
Common day-schools : 42 schools ; 1,149 scholars
Dames’ schools : 46 schools ; 849 scholars

Totalling 94 unendowed day-schools with 2,317 scholars

Plus :
42 endowed day-schools with 2,066 scholars

TOTAL 136 schools ; 4,383 scholars

Of the 4,383 children taught in the day-schools, endowed and unendowed, 2,587 received a gratuitous education, and 1,796 paid for their instruction. There were at the same time seventy-seven Sunday-schools giving instruction to 5,060 children.

The free-school at Woburn is not endowed, but has been supported since 1582, by the successive earls and dukes of Bedford. The school is now on the Lancasterian system, and contains 150 boys. The masters stipend (£50 per annum) is paid by the Duke of Bedford, who also keeps the school premises in repair. (Reports of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into Charities.)

The report of the National Society for promoting the Education of the Poor, for 1832, gives an account of the state of education in the county of Bedford, but the account includes only schools connected with the Church of England ; and it is further incomplete from the circumstance, that from thirty-nine parishes or parochial chapelries no return had been made. The account states that there were forty-three Sunday and daily schools, and fifty-two schools held on Sunday only. ln schools of the former kind 1,287 boys and 1,254 girls were instructed ; and of those of the latter kind 1,771 boys and 1,957 girls ; making a total of 3,058 boys and 3,211 girls, or 6,269 children. The population of the county in 1831 was 95,383.

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