Bury CofE Primary School

On property provided by the Duke of Norfolk, the church constructed the school in 1844 as a single classroom institution. 1994 marked the school's quincentennial. The school is fortunate to be located in such a unique setting and is also blessed with comprehensive information about its past. Farmworkers in the neighbouring fields set their watches by the school bell during Queen Victoria's reign. It was constructed 27 years before attendance at school was made a requirement, and students initially paid one penny per week for their instruction. All the kids wanted to be monitors around the turn of the century because they could make sixpence a week doing it. They had to sweep the classrooms after school, clear them out, and re-light the fire in order to get this. The coal scuttle needed to be filled, and older kids had to chop firewood. It was necessary to clean the school porch every Friday or Saturday. Even though there has been extensive documentation of this issue, the school log does not mention it. Mrs. Penfold remembered the teachers asking the governors to raise the then-four-penny wage. The governors' response was to refuse to give the kids their Christmas presents. Other children's parents made sure that the monitors weren't left out, and eventually, the pay was raised. The 26-foot well where the headmistress drowned herself in 1878 is not mentioned in the school log files. When the school was renovated in 1996, this well was discovered, and students buried a time capsule beneath the floor of the new quiet room.