Insights on Education in Mid-Victorian Lancashire: An Analysis of Exercise Books from 1868 and 1870

Abstract

This article analyses two exercise books from the mid-Victorian period that once belonged to a pupil teacher named Joseph Prescott, who taught at St Mary’s School, a Catholic educational institution in Chorley, England. The exercise books act as a case study for curriculum structure and educational practice in Lancashire by highlighting several themes, including the role of religion in the Victorian school day. After addressing the deficiencies in accessing education in the Victorian period, the article contextualises the analysis of the exercise books by recounting the development of the pupil-teacher system in Britain. Key pages of the exercise books reflect the Catholic nature of the curriculum at St Mary’s School and show that educators of the period taught a range of subjects. The article addresses the role of the pupil-teacher system in mid-Victorian schooling, leading to a clearer understanding of the responsibilities and prospects of pupil teachers during the period.