Book paints picture of past school days
PEMBREY and Burry Port Heritage Group has published a book on the town’s old Copperworks School.
Standing in Morlan Terrace, Burry Port, the school was one of the many ‘works schools’ built in the 19th Century for the education of the children of the workers of the various industries which operated locally.
The school was established in 1855 and financed by the owners of the copper works in the town - Sir Josiah Mason and George Elkington.
Fees were deducted from the workmen’s wages, but the children of other workers were also admitted.
It was a non-denominational school and the teaching was through the medium of English.
There were eventually two buildings which remain today - accommodating three schools for girls, boys and infants.
The new book explores the story of early education in Wales from Griffith Jones’ circulating schools and has a section on the notorious ‘treason of the Blue Books’.
There are also sections on the growth of works schools in South Wales which generally provided a superior education to other schools and were able to pay teachers a higher salary.
Graham said: “We used the original log books and other sources to paint a picture of the early days of the school, the methods of teaching and the role of the teacher in the 19th century.
“There is a chapter on Mathilde Bowser, a pupil at the school who eventually became a headmistress of the infant school.”
The book is available on Amazon and all proceeds from its sale will go to the Pembrey and Burry Port Heritage Group.
For details on the local heritage group visit their website at https:// pembreyburryportheritage.co.uk