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List of Patients, Smallpox Hospital, Mounthooly
Pitsligo School Log Book 1874-1912
Lieutenancy Book, County of Roxburgh, 1797-1802
Memoirs of James Smith, Stonemason, Dundee
Wick Harbour Trust Minute Book, 1880-1886
Kilsyth Heritors' Minutes 1813-1844
Description of the Isles of Orkney, 1684
Minute Book, Perthshire Highway Commisioners
Notes on 'Old Rock' Shetland, c. 1889-90
Cess Book, County of Lanarkshire, 1724-1725
Stirling Town Council Minutes 11847-64
 

 
  Pitsligo School Log Book 1874-1912
Aberdeenshire Archives (AC5/150/1)

 

Introduction - Pitsligo School headteacher’s log book , 1874 - 1912

Pitsligo School was located in the coastal parish of the same name in Aberdeenshire.  The school had been the parish school and, following the implementation of the 1872 Education (Scotland) Act, was taken over by the newly-formed Pitsligo School Board.  Until 1886 it was under the supervision of a graduate headmaster, and catered for pupils from the age of five years to university entrance.  Thereafter, a female certificated teacher provided an education for pupils up to the age of thirteen years.

The log book provides a detailed account of daily life in a nineteenth-century rural school in  north-east Scotland.  It gives the names and duties of the headteacher, pupil teachers and monitors, and contains copies of the annual inspection reports from 1875 to 1909.  Details are also given on the school curriculum, including textbooks used, and a scheme for religious instruction is mapped out on page 167.  The log book is a good source for measuring the impact of the Dick and Milne bequests, the schemes which significantly raised the standard of education in north-east Scotland.  Pitsligo School benefited from grants from these bequests until the change in the school’s constitution in 1886; the school’s curriculum and staffing level then changed markedly.

The log book is also an excellent source for life in the parish.  School attendance is carefully noted by the headteacher, including the reasons for the absence of pupils.  The primary occupation in the parish was agriculture, then a labour intensive activity that often involved school-age children. Thus the rhythms of the farming year, of sowing, harvesting, agricultural shows and six-month contracts, come through clearly in the log book.  Being close to the fishing port of Rosehearty, the impact of the seasonal herring fishing is also evident.  Some events of national importance are marked, such as Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897 (page 298) and the funeral of King Edward VII (page 467).  More frequently mentioned are the local events which made up the social and religious life of the parish: communion fast days, the visiting circus, Sunday School picnics and the celebration of New Year instead of Christmas.

Contents
There are 503 pages in this volume. Each image comprises two pages. Click on the links in the 'page' field below to go to a particular year in the volume. Alternatively, start at page 1 and work your way through the volume. Please note that these images are large (approx 150-200k) and may take some time to download. If printing any of these images out, please adjust your printer setup to 'landscape' rather than 'portrait' format.

Year Page
1874 1
1875 31
1876 56
1877 72
1878 88
1879 100
1880 112
1881 127
1882 139
1883 150
1884 163
1885 176
1886 186
1887 200
1888 211
1889 220
1890 229
1891 237
1892 246
1893 255
1894 264
1895 274
1896 285
1897 293
1898 302
1899 311
1900 320
1901 328
1902 336
1903 345
1904 355
1905 364
1906 380
1907 403
1908 424
1909 443
1910 460
1911 478
1912 495

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