The National School
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Catton House (the substantial house on the left) first appears on the 1790 plan of Aynho. It was the home of a very successful dairy farmer Mrs. Susan Prowett; the Prowetts were a long standing farming family.
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As you pass Catton House and turn left around the corner, directly in forn of you is the first National School. Originally, the school was held in a barn in 1812. It had 50 boys and one master!! By 1840s it was in its own building behind the Cartwright Arms (the area is now called School End). The Old School House (the masters house) is still there. The gentry, by and large, disapproved of girls being educated beyond 11 years. They reckoned they would try to go beyond their station in life. Many older village residents attended the school. Ron Bowerman remembers the teacher setting them to read part of the bible between 9.00 and 12.00 and then disappearing. Needless to say the pupils soon became restless and began to mess about. As 12.00 approached Ron climbed up on a chair to keep a look out and found himself staring straight into the teacher’s face. |
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Sybil Stevens remembers: "At Christmas a tree was donated and all the children were given a matchbox with 6d in it. Mrs. Scheppe (?) was a popular headmistress. She had a dog called Flirt which came into school and played with the children." Nancy Shergold was considered bright enough for Grammar School and had to walk to Warren Farm near the Croughton border, and sat the scholarship exam on Farmer Maclaren’s dining room table, supervised by the vicar. She passed and went to Banbury School. She caught the train from Aynho Station every morning. The last Head was David Morgan who now lives in Charlton and runs the Aynho Apricots. |
| Cross School End to Butts Close and cross the road into Bowman’s Lea |
