James William Ricketts Winder about 1881
While there may have been family outings to parks or the countryside, it's safe to say the streets of Worcester were the Winder children's primary playground. Danger from cars and other motorized vehicles wasn't a problem, but they had to be watchful for horse drawn vehicles. Like children ever since there have been children, Victorian urban youth used their imaginations to transform an ordinary street into a play ground. Lamp posts became cricket stumps for impromptu matches played with a piece of wood for a bat and a ball made of paper and string. Similarly sidewalks shared with pedestrians became the scene of games of tag, leapfrog, blind man's bluff, hop scotch and jump rope all of which were popular with Victorian children.
Edith May Ricketts Winder and James William Winder about 1883
From what we know about the Winders, indoor activities most likely began and ended with music. Pianos became affordable during the second half of the 19th century and singing in multiple forms was, no doubt, part of long winter evenings at home. James and Edith learned to read in Worcester and there was no shortage of reading material which varied greatly in quality. Apparently aptly named were the "penny dreadfuls" which offered drama and excitement in serial form at an affordable price. James was probably well acquainted with the "Boys of England" stories which featured "upwardly mobile heroes" in stories of "patriotism, violence and adventure."
Some of the content in the "Boys of England" stories apparently raised some Victorian eye brows which led to the "Boys Own Paper," adventures written and edited so as not go glorify criminals. At the higher end of the spectrum were books that remain juvenile classics today such as Treasure Island, Little Women, and Tom Brown's Schooldays. James and Edith may have been a little young for these books, but I'll admit to a fantasy of James R or Mary Ann reading Treasure Island aloud to their children, a scene repeated in Wayne, New Jersey some 50-60 years later. Although an American book, Little Women, was especially important because it made women's lives of "great moment." Tom Brown's Schooldays was also a ground breaking work as it popularized the school story.
Victorian Infant School Alphabet
If Tom Brown's Schooldays was of interest to the Winder children especially James, it was the kind of schooling he would never experience. By the 1880's school was mandatory for all British children through the age of 10. Most children started at 3 for two or so years of infant school. Some children began at 18 months in what was obviously a day care like environment. With Mary Ann's parents running a pub and James' mother and father operating a shop, each of the Winder children probably spent some of their early years with their grandparents while James and Mary Ann worked. After two-three years in infant school, children ages 5-7 were grouped by ability for further schooling in anticipation of an exam which would evaluate their fitness for the first standard or grade.
Victorian Writing Lesson
All told there were six to seven standards grouped by age although students had to pass an exam to advance to a new standard. These exams were more than a means of evaluating student knowledge since test results along with attendance determined the level of government funding. By the time James and Edith were in school, the curriculum had been broadened beyond the three "R's" to include geography, history, object learning, singing and needle work. Interestingly singing was a grant subject, that is a source of funding based upon test results. Handwriting was taught for the right hand only. Although my mother was educated in 20th century Trenton, she had a similar experience as she was forced to learn to write with her right hand even though she was naturally left handed.
Victorian Inkwells
School days ran from 9-12 and then 2-4 with students going home for dinner during the two hour noon break. This was probably done to facilitate working class schedules since men (and women) would come home for the big meal of the day at that time. School vacations took the form of two weeks at Christmas and Easter, six weeks at harvest time plus Whitsunday Monday and Tuesday. In addition Thursdays were reportedly half days. Discipline was reportedly very strict and enforced by severe corporal punishment which apparently didn't stop boys from being boys as the below article indicates.
Article from Worcester Journal of April 6, 1889 illustrating the boys at St. Peter's School's capacity for mischief
Direct provision of education was not considered a government responsibility until late in the Victorian period so alternative providers met most of the need. Since about 1810 one of the largest was the Church of England which funded schools from a combination of sources including the results based government funding mentioned earlier and fees charged to the families. Education was not free in England until after the Winders left so James and Mary Ann paid school fees for James and Edith both of whom attended St. Peter's Church of England School in Worcester. Contemporary newspaper accounts indicate the school was highly regarded, earning an "excellent" rating in 1889. By 1891 as the Winders were preparing to make their exit, there were 900 children in the school and a cornerstone had been laid for a new building. Over crowding in the existing facility was attributed to "excellent management and teaching."
James W. Winder and "The Boy's Complaint - Worcestershire Chronicle, March 1, 1890
Although the evidence is limited both James and Edit appear to have been good students. In 1891 Edith received a prize for punctual and regular attendance while her older brother was recognized both for attendance and drawing. More importantly from James' standpoint, he was twice chosen to perform before an audience something Victorian teachers reserved for their "brightest" students. As part of an 1890 program, James recited "The Boy's Complaint" and shared in a reporter's accolade that "the recitations were given with remarkable intelligence."
Edith Winders' attendance award - Worcester Journal, February 7, 1891
A year later in what was, intentionally or not, a farewell performance, James played a leading part in an operetta called "The Congress of Nations" presented by the boys of the school at a public hall in Worcester. In addition to a chorus of 300 boys and 70 others dressed in the costumes of various nations, the operetta featured James Winder, who along with Philip Miles "divided" the role of the professor. Once again James performance was highly praised to the point he and some others "received special marks of approval from the audience and were loudly "encored."
James Winders in "The Congress of Nations" - Worcester Journal, January 24, 1891
One hopes James, Mary Ann were present along with three proud grandparents. James at that point was 13, well past the school leaving age of 10, but still in school in one of the high standards. Skilled workers tended to keep their children in school to 13-14 before it became mandatory. It seems fairly certain James and Mary Ann were trying to help their children have as much education as possible. It is to be hoped that whatever else James learned at St. Peter's School, he understood the importance of being flexible because he and his sisters were about to be highly tested in that regard.
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