With children heading back to school around most of the Western World, I have no doubt that a collective moan of dread went up into the heavens, the loudest coming from my youngest daughter, a junior in high school. I can’t blame her; homework, tests, assignments, pressures from the intricate and often brutal social structure within schools, teachers that don’t love their jobs or their students—not to mention the getting up early and sticking to a rather unforgivable schedule, all places burdens on families and takes a bite out of family time. With all of that, it’s easy to forget how many improvements have happened over the years to become what is now an expected education. Schooling today is very different than it was in Regency England.

Education has always set apart the rich from the poor. With no public school system, the average working-class person in Regency England was less likely to be educated than the wealthy. For the children of those upper classes, education began early and took what might be to our modern sensibilities, a rather ugly turn. But let’s start at the beginning, a very good place to start. (Is anyone hearing the tune sung by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music?)

Nursemaid

First, children born to those with position and/or money had a nursemaid, also known as a nurse. The word “nanny” originated around the late 1790’s possibly from the Greek nanna, meaning “aunt”, or the Welsh nain, for “grandmother” but nanny was still an uncommon term during the Regency. The nursemaid came into the picture as soon as the child no longer needed a wet nurse. The nurse was primarily responsible for rearing the child and seeing to his physical needs, as well as keeping him entertained. Often, if the nursemaid cared for more than one child, she had assistant nursemaids. A well-liked nursemaid usually served the family for many years, and often generations. Nursemaids were often indulgent and attached to the family. In addition to feeding and bathing children, nursery staff taught their charges how to walk, talk, potty train, proper manners, discipline. They dined in the nursery with them and taught them table etiquette. They played with the children and taught them songs and nursery rhymes. In addition, nurses were expected to know treatments of the normal childhood ailments and treatments. Most of all, nurses showered them with love and affection—often a great deal more than the parents did.

Nursery Governess

About age four or five, education the children became a common practice. If the family was trying to save money or “economize,” they employed a governess to teach both a son and a daughter. Some viewed that as an indication of poverty or miserliness on the part of the parent. But it seems that many families employed a nursery governess for the primary teaching of children of both genders the basics of reading, writing, basic arithmetic, geography, history, and so on during these primary learning years. The nursery staff continued with basic care while a nursery governess or a governess (for girls) or tutor (for boys) arrived on the scene to begin a child’s education.

Tutor

Boys at the age of five usually entered a primary male world. He usually got his first valet to assume some of the roles the nursemaid had previously performed. A boy’s education was turned over to a tutor who began their curriculum with Latin and French. Boys also learned mathematics, history, geography, and science. Later, education included literature, business, history, languages such as French and Greek, philosophy. What may be surprising is that social graces were a major topic included. Dancing, art, poetry, and music were also included, as were sports such as fencing, boxing, riding, and hunting rounded out a boy’s education

Another option for educating a son was to hire a local educated man to teach in his home, individually or in small groups. Jane Austen’s father, Reverend Austen, supplemented his income by educating boys in his home.

A tutor often also accompanied their young man on his Grand Tour, at times when travel was not restricted due to war. A vital part of a young man’s education included the knowledge and experience that one only learned while traveling abroad.

Free Schools

Since there were no government-funded schools, the only free schools available were run by philanthropic and religious groups for poorer children. Jane and Cassandra Austen attended a school for girls run by a Mrs. Crawley in Oxford. Jane detested that school and returned home after only a year to be taught by her parents and by the copious amounts of books she read. In Jane Eyre, her aunt and uncle sent her to a school primarily funded by donations of so-called a philanthropist. Such schools were also available to boys.

Boarding School

Those wealthy children unlikely enough to be sent away for higher education rather than receive a private education via a tutor went to boarding school, also called “public school.” This term came from the boys receiving their education outside of their private homes, not because institutions received government funding. Nowadays we refer to those schools as “private schools.” These public schools were Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Westminster, Rugby, Charterhouse and Shrewsbury. Some boys went off to school by ten, though twelve was the more usual age. I read of one who was sent off to Eton at age six–poor soul–but that seemed to be an uncommonly young age.

Also, it was possible for a bright boy too poor to afford the tuition to attend school. A number of scholarships were available. Unfortunately, the boys and teachers were all too aware of who were the charity cases and made life unpleasant for the boy trying to gain an education with his “betters.”

Formally, the curriculum taught at boarding school covered everything a private tutor would teach beginning with Latin, Greek, and French. Boys learned mathematics, history, geography, literature, and science. Later, their education included business, history, philosophy, astronomy, anatomy, chronology. They were also taught religion in school. Since social graces were vital to securing an advantageous marriage, schools taught that in large measure as well as dancing, art, poetry, music, and all the sports of the day. Since these schools taught gentlemen not meant to sully their hands with work (perish the thought!), they never learned more practical subjects such as bookkeeping or land management. Those subjects consigned to schools that educated sons of men in trade.

Discipline was considered essential. Disciplinary measures were expected to be harsh, not only as a way to maintain order but to toughen up the boys so they could perfect that famous English stiff upper lip. Punishments were brutal, often resulting in blood being drawn during caning, belting, birching, and whipping.

But the worst was after the daily formal classroom instruction ended.
Evenings and nights, the boys were left to fend for themselves often under the rule of an older boy put in charge. The boys formed a hierarchy that made the reign of terror look tame, as older boys preyed upon younger boys. It is said that the savage yet Nobel Prize-winning novel, Lord of the Flies, was inspired by the author’s experience in school.

But let’s get back to the topic at hand. Boys might remain in these schools for as little as five years, after which they attended universities such as Cambridge or Oxford. Other boys remained in public school until they reached approximately eighteen years of age at which point they entered the social scene. They weren’t considered adults until they had reached the age of “majority” which was usually 21. At that point, they often had control over their own money. Younger sons needing to supplement their allowance (providing they had one) were expected to enter the law or the church or the military. Heirs usually become more involved in estate matters so they’d be prepared when the time came to inherit the family estate. However, young gentlemen of this age generally caroused. Many parents didn’t consider gentleman suitable for marrying until they’d turned about thirty, at which point the gentleman had “sowed his oats” and was ready to settle down.

Next time, I’ll delve into education for girls and young ladies.