Children and Education

Timeline

Children and Education Prehistory

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Children and Education Roman Fortress

The Roman soldiers were the first people in Devon who were able to read and write. Soldiers would often scratch their names onto their belongings, including the pots they ate from. Archaeological evidence from Exeter suggests they may have taught some of the local people to read and write.

Children and Education Roman Town

Evidence for children in the Roman town is rare, as most of their belongings and toys were perishable or fragile. The more tragic side of children's lives in early societies, the high level of infant mortality, is evident with burials from the town.

Children and Education Dark Age Town

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Children and Education Saxon Town

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Children and Education Norman Town

Evidence for children in the Norman Roman town is rare, as most of their belongings and toys were perishable or fragile. A small group of bone whistles which were made in the city may have been used by children.

Children and Education Medieval City

Evidence for children in the medieval city is rare, as most of their belongings and toys were perishable or fragile. Evidence of children's education from this time may include some drawings on slate found in a rubbish pit in the city.

Children and Education Tudor City

During this time more evidence survives for children in the city. Formal education for boys from the wealthier families was developed, and some traces of the schools and their educational material survive. Several games balls have been discovered by archaeologists which may have been used by children in their spare time.

Children and Education Civil War

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Children and Education Golden Age

In 1747 lavish improvements were made to the headmaster's house and committee rooms of the Free Grammar School in the High Street. They included a fine staircase, a panelled room with an elaborate doorway and a costly marble fireplace inlaid with motifs in the Adam style. These were salvaged by our museum when the buildings were demolished in the 1930s.

Children and Education Georgian City

Around the late 1700s several private schools were set up in Exeter to educate the children from wealthier families. Girls and boys were taught separately. Boys were taught Greek and Latin to become clergy or lawyers, or maths, foreign languages and book-keeping for the business world. Girls' were normally taught languages, maths and music.

Children and Education Victorian City

In the time around the late 1800s many small schools and Sunday schools were set up to teach the children in the city. Many families had to pay for their children's education. Some schools issued awards and medals to its students, for successes and improvements in subjects such as penmanship and mathematics.