HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
How cabinet maker’s remar kable daughter founded famous school
Badminton School: The remarkable woman who founded esteemed establishment
Bristol’s Badminton School has long been one of the country’s leading independent girls’ schools and many of its alumni have gone on to important positions in business, the media, law and politics. But its origins were rather more humble. Here, in an edited extract from her new book, Veronica Bowerman tells us about the school’s early years and its remarkable founder.
BADMINTON School’s founder was Mrs Miriam Badock (1831-1915), a mother with four very young children. Miriam was born Miriam Trapnell, and her father Henry owned a very well-known Bristol furniture and cabinet makers which had its own factory, branches throughout Bristol and head office on College Green.
Trapnell’s later became Trapnell and Gane, and after Miriam’s father’s death his partner, P.E. Gane continued to run the business, until the destruction of its College Green premises and St Paul’s factory during the Second World War contributed to its decline and eventual closure in 1956.
Most of Miriam’s 11 siblings were boys.
The three daughters were worshipped by their father, Henry but, sadly, Miriam’s elder sister, Mary Ann died as a toddler, leaving her and younger sister, Milly as the only daughters. Several of the boys did not survive childhood either.
From her early teens Miriam attended Miss Thompson’s School, a large school on St Michael’s Hill with an excellent reputation gained through forward thinking teaching and strict rules.
Miriam was a quick and clever girl, but in those days, there were no examinations. By the time Miriam had completed the curriculum neither of her parents felt comfortable about leaving their attractive young daughter at home each day.
Both parents, at this time, were wrking for the company business which had expanded rapidly. So, Henry Trapnell asked Miss Thompson to keep his daughter on longer, but Miss Thompson said it would not be suitable for her to go over the syllabus again.
However, it was agreed that Miriam could stay on and study Greek instead which she really enjoyed.
After these additional studies were completed and Miriam was back home it was also decided that her mother would leave the business altogether to manage their home at Victoria Lodge, on Whiteladies Road.
Caleb Trapnell, one of Miriam’s older brothers, worked as a
designer in the family business.
When William Badock came down from London to see him in about 1851, Caleb asked their parents if they could put him up for the night at Victoria Lodge.
Miriam would have been about 19 or 20 then. William and Miriam got on very well from this first meeting at the Trapnell’s home and within six months were engaged over a game of chess.
Miriam’s parents later moved to Oakfield Road and William and Miriam married at Clifton Parish Church in 1852. Her wedding dress was white moire antique, trimmed with ermine. They lived in London initially as William’s business was in Clapham, and Miriam had three babies rather quickly - Walter, Will and Gertie.
Shortly after this time, when William was riding, he was thrown from his horse breaking a leg and subsequently developing a kidney problem.
His condition worsened and, as he was not able to work, money was not coming in from the business. Miriam wrote to her parents asking for advice. Her father told her to “Pack up everything you’ve got. Come down to Bristol all of you. I have a house I can put you into and I think I have got a business William could take.”
Miriam and William and family moved into Burlington Road, off Whiteladies Road, Bristol.
William took over the cabinet making business which thrived, but his health continued to be a problem.
They found that they were still unable to generate enough income to cover their needs. By 1858, with Miriam expecting their fourth child in June, they decided to look at other ways of increasing their income. A paying guest, Miss Holborrow was taken in and, almost immediately, became a very good and supportive friend to Miriam.
When William’s health worsened Miriam was able to talk over her worries with Miss Holborrow who enabled her to focus on her own talents.
Although Miriam could not initially see a way forward with three young children as well as a sick husband, Miss Holborrow, a few days later, mentioned that she had just received a letter from her sister, Mrs Hillier, who had three young girls. She was keen for her children to have a good education and thought that Miriam might be able to help.
With great fortitude and enterprise, Miriam Badock had now identified her most marketable asset, her education at Miss Thompson’s school at Campden House, St Michael’s Hill, Bristol, which had been unusually good for a 19th century daughter.
William, was not at all keen for Miriam to start such a venture but, he agreed that if her mother thought it was a good idea, he
Thanks to the farm’s sheep-dip, Badminton was one of the first girls’ schools to boast its very own onsite swimming pool!
would go along with it.
Later Miriam visited her mother; like William, she was not happy with the idea.
However, she did agree to talk to Miriam’s father later. Her father subsequently said “I think, my dear, the Lord helps those who help themselves and if you take these three and teach them you shall have your little sister Milly for a fourth.”
(Miriam’s sister was 12 years younger than she was.)
He continued: “Your children shan’t suffer. I’ll pay for a good nurse for the children.
“They will be all right.” Miriam was thrilled with these offers and ran home to William to talk it over.
It was agreed that the school should start on 1 August, 1858 following the birth of the new baby, Herbert on 15 June 1858. In those days there were no terms – just two half years – the first one beginning 1 August and finishing in the middle of December and the second from the beginning of January or February.
There were breaks of a few days each for Michaelmas and Easter.
On 1 August, 1858 the school opened with seven children. It soon thrived at Burlington Road so larger premises were soon needed.
The school moved to 1 Berkeley Square and extra staff were taken on to cope with the growing number of pupils. With this continuing increase of pupils, a move to 31 Berkeley Square was soon needed. Five years later, after Herbert’s arrival, Edith Mary was born at 31 Berkeley Square in 1863.
However, Miriam had fallen downstairs just a month before the birth.
They were all very worried about her and brought her bed down to the drawing room where she stayed until Edith Mary was born.
Edith Mary was followed by Percy and then Stanley (Sir Stanley Badock), the youngest.
Everything was going really well, but then a Mrs Hill wrote saying that she had two little girls that she wanted to send there the next term.
Miriam was pleased to have two more boarders but then she received a telegram asking if the daughters could be received at once. Miriam telegraphed back “With pleasure.”
When the children arrived one of the Governesses showed the children their rooms and helped them to unpack and settle in.
However, the Governess thought it unusual that all the children’s clothes were brand new and she reported this to Miriam.
When the two children went to bed that evening, they complained that they were not feeling well.
The next morning one of them was very ill indeed so Miriam arranged for a doctor to call to see them. He said they both had scarlet fever; then sadly, the two Hill children died.
When Mr and Mrs Hill arrived for the funeral of the children Mrs Hill said “Mrs Badock, will you ever forgive me? I thought to save my children.
“I had one child lying dead at home and I thought I could send them straight off to you. So, I sent them to London and had them completely outfitted at a London shop and thought everything would be all right.”
Miriam was at her wit’s end and so decided to break up the school; all the pupils were sent home.
William decided that it was necessary to disinfect the house and to temporarily relocate his family to rented accommodation, believed to be in Portishead.
They had not been there for more than a couple of days when William and son Will developed scarlet fever but fortunately, they recovered.
It was fearful blow to Miriam at the time, but she learnt many lessons from it.
Fortunately, Miriam was able to restart the school soon after 31 Berkeley Square was disinfected but, by 1870, owing to its continuing popularity the school needed bigger premises again.
William and Miriam agreed to purchase Badminton House, Worcester Terrace, Clifton.
The previous occupant had been an old clergyman who took in young noblemen.
One of these had been the Duke of Beaufort’s son, the Marquis of Worcester.
The clergyman was so proud of this that he named the house Badminton House after the Duke’s estate.
Many people could not understand why William and Miriam had decided on an area which, at that time, was quite out of the way.
However, the school continued to grow with more day pupils.
Miriam’s daughter, Edith Mary Badock later recalled that when they first moved to Badminton House around 1870 there was no room in the bedrooms for the crinolines so nails were driven into the walls in a long passage outside and the girls took off their crinolines and hung them up here.
The school continued at Worcester Terrace for many years before settling on its location at Westbury on Trym in 1919.
Edith Mary Badock had, during these years, married Henry Caleb Trapnell from their Worcester Terrace home and school where she also taught after her marriage.
UCLES – the University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate for school leaving exams had chosen Bristol as one of its centres for boys in 1858.
By 1868 the Committee who ran these examinations proposed that girls should also be included.
Several members of the Bristol Committee called on Miriam wanting to know if she would be willing to put pupils in for the exam.
They advised costs, how it would be done, and the desirability of girls also achieving this standard. It was considered a most advanced and dangerous thing to do but there was great excitement about it.
After reviewing all the particulars Miriam put it to the girls and seven volunteers came forward. Every one of them passed.
It was a great feather in their cap for Badmintonians who were among the earliest female students to gain such a qualification.
In 1892, Maud Everett was first Badminton girl to study medicine, winning a place at the London School of Medicine for Women.
During her time as Head, Miriam had given birth to three more children, all in the school holidays, before retiring in the 1890s.
After Mrs Miriam Badock retired in the early 1890s, the School was taken over by a colleague and expupil, Miss Ellen Bartlett, and her two sisters.
The school continued to expand, taking over a number of houses in Worcester Terrace, Clifton until in 1911 when Miss Beatrice May Baker (known as BMB) was appointed Headmistress.
Fiercely intellectual and politically something of a radical, under BMB’s leadership Badminton was soon gaining not just a national but also an international reputation.
As Miss Baker began to draw on her extensive list of contacts in cultural, philosophical and political circles she provided Badminton girls with unusually diverse opportunities to learn more about the world around them.
In 1919 the beautiful Cote Bank estate in the suburb of Westburyon-Trym was put up for sale.
Shrewdly Miss Baker took the great financial gamble of purchasing the site and little by little the school moved to its present campus in the early 1920s.
Modern facilities were created in new, purpose-built buildings and the historic great house, Northcote, and its satellite farm buildings, stables and coach house were all sympathetically adapted.
In 1933 the school was made a Public School with a Board of Governors and the Academic House system was introduced.
Thanks to the farm’s sheep-dip, Badminton was one of the first girls’ schools to boast its very own on-site swimming pool!
This extract comes from Veronica Bowerman’s new book, ‘More Henleaze Connections: Pastimes, Pastures and People’, a collection of stories, memories and curious tales from Henleaze.
For more information see: www. henleazebook.com
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