Robinson Crusoe

[weecalf]

I hve here a book .hardback .cover calls it Robinson Cruso with illustrations by J.D.Watson Title page calls it The Life and adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel De Foe with fifty two illustrations by J.D Watson .London George Routledge and Sons Broadway,Ludgate Hill New york 9 Lafayette Place Spine says Coloured illustrations .I have looked up all about these books but can not find this edition the book was an award to a pupil of Castlegate Board School Penrith for attendance for year ending Janurary 1887.How could I find out more .Not worried about its little value but any ideas Thanks in advance

[bookbinder]

I entered "Robinson Crusoe publisher Routledge" into Google, and I got a list of several sites. I clicked on this site:
http://larryvoyer.com...s/routledge_sons3.htm
and got photographs of several editions of the book. There were at least 3 that fitted your description, but there were no further details. I have had a look for Castlegate Board School, but so far I have found nothing. It may be that the building still exists, but the name has changed.

[weecalf]

Thank you bookbinder I checked that site also but did not find the book am I looking for .

[bookbinder]

Searching for info on that particular book does not seem to be very successful. I have sent an email (with your enquiry) to Penrith Public Library, to see if they have any info on the school. You never know, they might come up with the name of the recipient in 1887! I'll get back to you if I get a reply.

[flicrat]

You could try the Penrith Local Education Department,or the Local History Society if there is one.

[boxtops]

Have you got a publication date for the book (probably in Roman numerals from the 1880s)?

[weecalf]

Thanks bookbinder .,flicrat and boxtops .There is no mention of date of publication on the book that I can find The g
uys that won the awards name is on the book and the amount of days he attended out of a possible number . Ive have no way to up load a picture of the cover but of all the books it strange that edition is not there

[bookbinder]

I've received an acknowledgement of my email. The library staff at Penrith say that they'll get back to me within 10 days. Could you give us the name of the pupil who was given the book? There doesn't seem to be anything special about the book itself, so maybe the pupil would provide some interest.

[weecalf]

The name is Ernest Robertshaw. Llittle footnote he attended 418 times the school was open 430 times as theres as we know 365/6 days in the year wonder how they arrived at these figures , Was the roll called twice a day ?Was that his total atttendence during his time at the school ? Any way bookbinder thanks for you help and interest .Please let me know if you hear anything

[bookbinder]

Thanks for the info regarding Ernest Robertshaw. His attendance figures might need a little head-scratching to decipher. In the meantime, I have discovered the following about the school:
the building still exists, though what it is now used for I do not know. It was erected in 1847 as a Board School, and it stands near the Agricultural Hotel. The school itself does not appear to be on Castlegate (unless I have found the wrong school!), but it is on the right hand side of Auction Mart Lane, in a yard that is now used as a glass depot. Auction Mart Lane is not far from Castlegate, but a list of properties now standing in Castlegate does not mention a school. Google Street Level will not take us along Auction Mart Lane (curses! foiled again!), so we cannot get a close look at the old Board School. I'll do some digging re Ernest Robertshaw, but it's dinnertime here, so it might be a few minutes before I can return to the fray.

[bookbinder]

This is my theory regarding the 418/430 times.
1. If the roll was called twice a day, a possible 430 times of attendance equals 215 school days.
2. If the school was open 5 days a week, 215 school days equals 43 weeks. 52 weeks in a year means that 9 weeks have to be accounted for.
3. Subtract days off for public/church holidays:
Ash Wednesday.
Shrove Tuesday.
Good Friday.
Easter Monday.
Ascension Day.
Whitsuntide?
Christmas Day.
Boxing Day.
4. That gives about one week to subtract from the 9 weeks, which leaves us with 8 weeks to account for. In my school days (I am now 71) we got 6 weeks' summer holiday. I have always understood that that particular tradition arose from the need to have children helping with the harvest when England was a largely agricultural country, so maybe children in Penrith in those days got 8 weeks' summer holiday.
5. Incidentally, the roll was not called twice a day when I was at school, and I don't know how Board Schools worked, but a 2x a day roll call might explain the 418/430 attendances.

[weecalf]

This is the exact wording on the dedication a label stuck to inside of front cover CASTLEGATE BOARD SCHOOL
PENRITH
PRESENTED TO
ERNEST ROBERTSHAW
FOR ATTENDANCE AND DILLIGENCE AT SCHOOL DURING THE YEAR ENDING JANURARY 1887
SCHOOL OPEN 430 TIMES
ATTENDANCE 418(WRITTEN IN PEN)
STANDARD PASSED(LOOKS LIKE THE LETTER V WRITTEN IN PEN WITH STROKE ABOVE IT )
Thank for you time spent on this bookbinder

[bookbinder]

Still no word from the library. Ernest was probably aged about 10 years when he was presented with the book, as he had reached Standard V (Class 5). I was at primary school between about 1944 and 1950, and the classes there were called Standards. You started off in Standard I (or 1) and every year you moved up into the next class (Standard 2,3,4, and 5), so I don't think that Ernest had passed any kind of exam to achieve Standard V. I can't find any trace of Ernest on the usual search engines, so to get more info might require a search of the 1881 or 1891 censuses, and that costs money. I'll let you know if and when I hear from the library.

[bookbinder]

I haven't had an answer from the library, so I think that I've gone as far as I can with the search. All I can say is "best of luck".

[weecalf]

Thanks bookbinder .

[dotty.]

Have you checked out the school on the census?
I've found Ernest on the 1881 census, he was the grandson of John Sargison, a bootmaker of Penrith.

[weecalf]

Thats interesting .thank you dotty