ST, CUTHBERT’S SCHOOL

We are fortunate that the School’s documents are well preserved at The County Record Office in Woodhorn Museum .

These include, in chronological order:

CES 15/2/1  Log Book 1871-1904   Photo]

CES 15:       Amble CE   County Primary School (Medd Memorial Schools) 1881-1955

CES 15/5/1 Photograph of School Group with Headmaster Mr. J. H. Roberts 1898   Photo

CES 16/3/1 Admission Register Photo

CES 16        Amble Links County First School Records    1914-1996

CES 16/1/1 Managers’ Minute Books Minute Book (Cross Street , Dovecot, Edwin Street and Gibson Street Schools 1937-1966)

CES 16/3/1 Amble Links County First School   1914-1944

CES 17/       Amble County Middle School Records 1948-1966

Even more valuable is “A Brief History of Amble Church Schools 1872-1954” (NRO Ref:  592) This is a handwritten account on  27 pages of an exercise book by Robert Lyall of 36 Middleton Street, Amble, written in 1970. This careful work, based on the School Log Book, merits publication in view of the author’s first hand personal experience of the Schools as pupil, Trustee and Manager.

Robert Lyall was born at No. 48 Church Street in 1890, son of Jane Ann (26) and John Hugh Lyall (30) a slater and plasterer. He was a pupil at the Church Schools from 1893 to1903.  In Kelly’s Directory for 1938 he is listed as working as “J.H Lyall and Son: slater and plasterer.  He was for several years c.1950 a Trustee and Manager of the Church Schools. Mr. Lyall was 80 years old when he wrote this account of his School. He died in 1973.                                                                          

The open cover shows a photograph of “Scholars at Amble Church of England School in 1876.” The Headmaster Mr. John Glass, Pupil Teacher Miss M.J. Glass are shown on the left of the photograph.

The first 13 pages are taken from the Log Book, very well summarised; the rest of the book consists of well-informed recollections of first-hand experience.