Jevington School, East Sussex

JEVINGTON NATIONAL SCHOOL

On 31st December 1846 William Cavendish Earl of Burlington and heir to the Duke of Devonshire conveyed land in Jevington to the rector and churchwardens for a site for a school and schoolhouse. Before this the parish clerk held a small school in the Saxon tower of the parish church. A small school was built high on a bank beside the main street and opened 6 June 1847. In 1872 it was enlarged to accommodate 80 children from the parish including those at Filching and Wannock.  By 1926 there were too few children attending and the Minister for Education closed the school on 7 January 1927. The building was later used as a Post Office and is now the Village Hall.

JEVINGTON SCHOOL BAND -1879

Thomas Dimmer Schoolmaster 1873-1882 formed a Fife and Drum Band in 1877.  He is pictured here with the boys in their smart scarlet and black uniforms. They wore red sashes and peaked caps with a red rosette and button on the top. Twice a week Mr Dimmer marched them four a breast up the main street village. They were successful in winning several local competitions.

SCHOOL MAY DAY CELEBRATIONS - 1923

Each year the children at the school celebrated May Day with a ceremony of crowning the May Queen and dancing round the Maypole. They picked flowers from the surrounding downs to make garlands. Here the whole school is pictured on May Day 1923, three years before the small village school closed.  Christobel Cuthbert is the May Queen and sitting in front of her is Robert Newson 3 year old son of the school mistress Florence Newson.  Florence, a widow, was the last school teacher at Jevington School and emigrated to Australia with her son a few years later.

These interesting pictures are from Rosalind's collection.  She has also provided the captions.