Our library and archives are filled with primary and secondary sources that are a fantastic resource for our local schools. Discover more about our explorers Captain James Cook and William Scoresby, uncover stories using our digital Whitby Gazette, ask our volunteers about local history or browse our vast library collection to unearth local treats. We have maps, photographs, log books, scrap books, diaries, letters, wills, deeds and much, much more…
At the beginning of December, we had a visit from Westcliff Year 2’s who were looking at ‘School Days’. In the local history section of the library, we have many books that feature stories relating to school days; compiled by local people. Here are a couple of my favourite stories:
Rosehip Collecting – an activity that most schools partook in; a government scheme that continued into the late 1950’s/1960’s (Nine Cups of Coffee, Page 61, 942.747 ESK)
School Games – Cricket in Westerdale School (Nine Cups of Coffee, Page 18, 942.747 ESK)
“Donald Ellerby could hit the ball over the Institute (the “tin Village Hall”), or, Emma said, into the churchyard the other way, so that they would have a job finding it. People tried hard to get Donald Ellerby on their side. Bessie said that one day a cricket ball was hit through a window from the front of the school room and out through a window at the back into the churchyard, “so that was two panes of glass gone”. Cricket was off for quite a long time. They had to save up their pennies until the damage was paid for. It took a long time!”
In the archive we have copies of school log books from Castleton and Lythe. This particular entry is from the Castleton School Log Book dated 19th November 1942 (Michael Stainsby Archive, Tommy Roe Archive Room, E1.4):
Tank incident…
This evening at 4.30pm an army tank skidded on the road which had a glassy surface and smashed down the double gates of the school demolishing the two pillars and about six feet of the boundary wall. Later three other tanks damaged the wall of the school and school house in three different places.
In the Tommy Roe Archive Room we have copies of Lythe School Log Book dating back to 1862 but this particular entry has been taken from The Parish of Lythe Millennium Historical Record 2000, Page 23, 942.747 LYT.
In January 1947 heavy snow storms were reported. By February 4th only 18 children were present out of a possible 67. On February 26th the temperature in the infant room was 31 degrees F. Miss Calvert and Miss Musgrave walked from Whitby to Lythe and back each day during bad weather and were never absent or late.
We even have a Geometry school book from 1711!
The digital Whitby Gazette runs from 1854 until 2014 – which can be amusing for students to look up stories relating to family members.
This West Cliff Primary School article comes from July 31st 1981 – Royal Wedding Celebrations “…the children drank a toast in orange juice to Prince Charles and Lady Diana.”
The session with the Year 2’s began by splitting into two groups. One group headed into the museum to look at childhood related items and the Eskdale School Exhibition. The other group split and headed with Charles (Archivist) into the Tommy Roe Archive Room to look at old newspaper articles about the opening of the school and a quill pen that had been found with the muster rolls when they were discovered; whilst half the group joined me in the library to look at a selection of school items and the stories behind them.
This is one example of a session we can offer in the library. Over the past couple of years, I have visited Lythe Primary School to talk about WWII. I took a selection of resources we have in our WWII archive box, talked about events from the local area including the plane crash of the first enemy plane, a Heinkel Bomber at Bannial Flatt Farm and even found an article in the Whitby Gazette about evacuees at Lythe School joining in with a play in October 1939.
We have had several Year 5/6 school groups for our Behind the Scenes Tour & Workshop, sixth form work experience placements and university placements.
Click on the links below to find out more about these school sessions/work experience/research placements.
A Leeds Beckett Students Diary – Book Maintenance & Conservation
If you are interested in any of these opportunities mentioned or would like us to tailor a session towards a subject of interest, please contact [email protected]
By Claire Marris (Archive Development Officer)
#archivesforall #HeritageFund
