Figure 1.--The boys at this school in 1897 wear a variety of suits. The most common is Norfolk jackets, but some younger boys wear sailor suits. One boy is wearin short pants and kneesocks, although most are wearing kneepants with long stockings.

The English education system went through great changes in the nineteenth century, shifting from formal education that was almost exclusively for upper class males to education that was accessible to everyone. As the English student became more often of a lower social class, schools took on different forms and the methods of teaching changed as well. In the 19th century, new theories, such as those of Johann Pestalozzi, were taking hold as the government and upper society were pushing to maintain the status quo. The classic English novelJane Eyre takes place in the midst of these changes, Jane herself spending most of her life, as depicted in the novel, in the English education system, first as student and later as teacher. Some modern schoolwear styles emerged in the 19th century, but at the country's elite private schools. Eton boys by the early part of the century were wearing long pants suits with short jackets, long pants, and what was to become known as Eton collars. This style proved to be enormously popular at the country's public (private) schools, although each school had their own differences. Most public schools, however, did not require uniforms. Actually many parents refused to send their children to the public schools and educated them at home. The English public school made minimal efforts to supervise the boys and the schools could be rather dismal if not dangerous places, especially for the younger boys. Gradually the outrageous, riotous behavior at these schools forced the schools to introduce a variety of reforms to control student behavior. One of the reforms was to require standardized uniforms which until the 19th century had been a feature only at charity schools. School uniform garments like peaked caps, boaterrs, and blazers emerged at the the public schools. Especially after mid-century as part of the educational reforms sweeping the public schools, preparatory schools for the younger boys began to proliferate. Many younger boys, however, continued to be educated at home or attend dame schools where uniforms were not required. Even more imortantly, Englabd began to develop a pubically financed state school system. While lagging behind several countries on the continent there was a great expansion of schools for the average English boy during this period. A wide variety of schools were opened, including ragged schools, board schools, national schools and several others. Only by the late 19th century did educational reforms began creating a national system of state schools out of the variety of schools that had been created. Uniforms were not required at these elementary schools. State financed secondary schools were a rarity throughout the 19th century.

Early 19th Century

England had no state supported schools in the early 19th century that the children of poor people or modest income people could attend. Several countries, especially in Germany had begun to found state supported primary schools, but this was not yet the case in England. While England had no state schools, there were many private, fee-paying schools. Younger children might be educated in fee-paying schools called dame schools where they were taught to read or simple mathematics. Older children might attend public schools. These public schools were not schools in the American sence of state-supported schools. There were public schools, but by this the British meant that the schools were open to the public that could afford to pay school fees. It was not just at the public schools that England's future leders were educated. The children of wealthy aristocratic children, often did not attend the public scchools. They tended to be rough, sometimes even dangerous places. Children from wealthy families might be tutored at home. The Industrial Revolution which began in England during the mid-18th century had by the early 19th century profounfly affected British society. The experience of childood and education were two of many areas affected. There were attempts through charity to educate the poor. There were both older schools as well as new schools founded in the early 19th cebntury to educate working class children. Europeans in the 18th century treated children essentially as small adults. They excpected children to become responsible at a very young age. Play was seen as idele behavior and discouraged. One indication of this was the fact that children in the 18th century were dressed as small adults. There was in the late 18th and early 19th century considerable debate about educational approaches. Teaching methods in the early 19th century were strongly influenced by English philosopher John Locke.

Mid-19th Century

More successful than the dame school was the charity school. The charity school movement produced many schools as the upper classes saw an opportunity to ensure social discipline (Midwinter 19). The influence of the upper classes led to a curriculum of religious and moral instruction. By educating the poor, the rich were able to reduce poverty and crime, in turn cleaning up the cities and making them safer. The upper classes ensured their own positions through the instruction of subordination in the charity schools, for a charity school education included the reinforcement of ideals of class. Students were taught to remain in their proper stations. In Jane Eyre,the Lowood girls were taught to be submissive and humble, bowing to the wills of their "betters".

Charity schools usually incorporated the monitorial system. As public education became available to all classes, the number of prospective students greatly outnumbered the supply of qualified teachers, resulting in terrible education for many lower class children. Neither Sunday Schools nor the dame schools could accommodate the rising number of students. This problem was met by the monitorial system, developed by Joseph Lancaster and Dr. Andrew Bell in the first decade of the nineteenth century. Under the monitorial system, a master teacher taught a few older brighter students and/or assistant teachers some small skill or activity, and they in turn would take a group of children and teach it to them. By having all the children engaged in learning with one group of monitors while the master teacher was working with another group of monitors for the next activity, the children were always kept busy. This method of teaching turned out to be highly effective and efficient for the time it was employed, causing it to be implemented into the schools within a few years of its development.

The purpose of these monitorial charity schools was to teach the basics of the three R's to working class children so that they could read the Bible. Obedience was stressed, and girls were taught to be skilled in needlework. Bell and Lancaster differed slightly in their approach to monitorial teaching. Lancaster's version was simple, with the master teacher working with the senior pupils, who then taught the other children. Bell's model, however, was quite complicated, involving pairs of brighter and slower students and a complicated system of ushers and assistants (Midwinter 28-29). While Jane Eyre doesn't have any instances of pairs of students or of ushers, the great girls who served as monitors as well as the presence of many teachers below Miss Temple suggest that Lowood probably followed Bell's model. Both Lancaster's and Bell's systems of teaching incorporated dictation and students taking turns reading aloud. Lancaster introduced writing alphabetically on a slate, while Bell introduced writing in syllables, separating the syllables with hyphens on the slate (Midwinter 29). Successes and failures, as well as good behavior and bad, were met with rewards and penalties. Successful, well behaved students would be recognized with honors such as advancement toward the head of the class, while other students might receive harsh, embarrassing punishments for their behavior and failures. Lowood features many examples of this, such as when Jane is forced to stand on a stool in front of everyone and to remain there for hours because she dropped a slate. These are hardly examples of the extreme punishments which did take place, though. Lancaster was especially known for his severe punishments. He shackled students, tied their hands to a log behind their back, and was even known to put children in a basket on the school roof.

The monitorial system was the first successful method of teaching a large group of students. Robert Owen's work in infant teaching was also successful as he gave advice to many other teachers and trained many teachers. Owen's work influenced the work of David Stow who published The Training System in 1836, which advocated improved ways of teaching young children, and helped to train new teachers (Musgrave 20). Stow supported the class method of teaching over the monitorial. The class method involved one teacher with a class of students who may be of varying ages. This would allow all the children the opportunity to interact with the teacher directly. The teacher would teach the entire class, incorporating concepts for all the levels of students into her lesson. She could then work individually with students while they worked on an assignment. St. John's school, which Jane teaches in, is an example of a class school. Through the influences of Pestalozzi's theories, the training schools multiplied. Class schools could not teach as large a group of students as monitorial schools could, but as the number of teachers trained caught up with the demand made by the number of students, English education reformed and class schools replaced monitorial schools.

The English public school traditionally made minimal efforts to supervise the boys and the schools could be rather dismal if not dangerous places, especially for the younger boys. Gradually the outrageous and in many cases dangerous situation at these schools forced the schools to introduce a variety of reforms to control student behavior. The English classic Tom Brown's School Days chronicles the reform process of educator Thomas Arnold at Rugby. One of the reforms was to require standardized uniforms which until the 19th century had been a feature only at charity schools. Boys at first resented these efforts and there was much resistence. Gradually after mid-century the idea of school uniform began to take hold. School uniform garments like peaked caps, boaterrs, and blazers emerged at the the public schools. Especially after mid-century as part of the educational reforms sweeping the public schools, preparatory schools for the younger boys began to proliferate. Many younger boys, however, continued to be educated at home or attend dame schools where uniforms were not required. Some of the first English state schools were founded during mid-century.

A good example of boys wearing what looks like Eton suits or what was probably their school uniform is two London teenagers in the 1850.

Late-19th Century

The idea of a standard school uniform gradually was accepted and by the 1870s was widely observed at mpst public schools. The clothing list at these schools coulod be amazingly extensive. Another part of the reforms implemented at mid-century was to separate or take special steps to protect the younger boys. Many preparatory schools appeared in the late 19th century to accomodate the needs of the yonger boys. Uniform requirements were more relacked at these new schools, but they gradually adopted uniform requirrements as well. England began to develop a pubically financed state school system. The English effort to found a national system of state schools lagged behind several countries on the continent. Countries like Prussia at an early stage saw an educated population as important in building a strong state. Important elemenent in England were concerned about the social impact of educating the working class. Despite the misgivings, there was a great expansion of schools for the average English boy during the late 19th century. A wide variety of schools were opened, including ragged schools, board schools, national schools and several others. Only by the late 19th century did educational reforms began creating a national system of state schools out of the variety of schools that had been created. Uniforms were not required at these elementary schools. State financed secondary schools were a rarity throughout the 19th century.

Related Links: Careful this will exit you from the Boys' Historical Clothing web site, but both sites are highly recommended

Apertures Press New Zealand book: New E-book on New Zealand schools available

Boys' Preparatory Schools: Lovely photographic essay of British preparatory schools with some over 200 color and black and white photographs depicting the schools during the 1980s

A new E-book on British preparatory schools in progress

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Created: November 11, 1999
Last updated: 11:37 PM 12/15/2007