The Fernhurst Society
Tales from the Archives - 56
What did close Fernhurst School and what didn't
Fernhurst School is no stranger to prolonged closure due to illness.
The first recorded closure was in 1886 was due to an epidemic of Measles. When it reopened four weeks later it was noted that almost every child had been attacked, and many were not sufficiently recovered to come back to school. (There were between 170-190 children on the register at the time.)
In July 1890 all local schools were ordered to be closed due to Scarlet Fever and they did not reopen until 8 September. At that time the 'Harvest Holidays' were taken from the 3rd week in August to the 3rd week in September so that the children's labour could be better used, instead of them taking time off during term time. An even worse outbreak came four years later when Measles was so rife that there was virtually no school from the end of June until October.
Further closures occurred over the years, notably a seven-week period in 1907. Along with the rest of the country Spanish Flu hit Fernhurst in 1918. Already closed for the now familiar Measles outbreak, Spanish Flu arrived hot on its heels, effectively shutting the school for the whole of the autumn term. A measles vaccine was not introduced until 1963.
One event that didn't close the school was very cold weather in 1916. Coal and coke supplies failed to arrive and although the temperature only reached 38 deg F (4 deg C) in the Infants Dept and 43F (7C) in the rest of the school,
If you would like to know more about this story, or research other local topics, the Archive is open on Tuesdays, 2.30-5pm in the Village Hall. Other times by arrangement.
Christine Maynard
Fernhurst ArchiveOne of a series of short articles bringing you some of the incidents from our rich village history. Collated by Christine Maynard, based on documents preserved at the Fernhurst Archives, these originally were published in the monthly Fernhurst News.
The Fernhurst Archives
Fernhurst History
