13006: Leurbost School

Sgoil Liùrbost; Sgoil Liurbost

Leurbost School

After the Education Act (Scotland) of 1872 the government accepted complete responsibility for education.  School Boards were established in every burgh of Scotland.  Four Lewis School Boards met for the first time in the spring of 1873 with the estate factor presiding.  Schools were established at Balallan, Fidigary, Grimshader, Keose and Leurbost.  These were all Boards Schools and were built to the same design – one big room and two smaller rooms adjacent to it.

Leurbost Public School was formally opened 12 August 1879 in the presence of parents, Rev Mr Cameron and Mr Mackay – School Board Officer.

J C CLARKE

12 August 1879 – 28 October 1881

The first Headmaster appointed was Mr J C  Clarke on  12 August 1879 until 28 October 1881, of many years experience at Freswick Public School, Caithness.  On August 25, 1879 the number of scholars registered was 95 but by October 17 the roll had risen to 135.  A foghorn was acquired to summon pupils to school!  The attendance up until March 1880 was good, thereafter the older children were required at home to help with the croft work from spring through the summer into autumn until harvest was completed.  

School attendance was irregular because of stormy weather, illness and croft-work.  

February 1882:

Attendance was low owing to stormy weather, the want of proper clothing and shoes keeping a number of children home, though many came to school with bare feet.  Bare feet – in February!

I went to school at New year in 1922.  The infant teacher was Christine Macphail from Carloway.  The Headmaster was Mr Copland, a non Gàidhlig speaker from Fife.  He spoke Broad Scots.  If a girl came to school somewhat grubby he would say to her, ‘You dirty girl, get away tae the burn and get washed.’  This was the stream running at the back of the school.  It was somewhat difficult to understand him but he was an exceptionally good Headmaster.

We took peats to school every day for the classroom fire.  Some of those who lived further away from the school would take a peat from a stack near the school to save them carrying it a long distance.  There was some coal used in the fires.  There was a round cast-iron stove in the rum mheadhanach. There were just three rooms, the rum bheag small room, the rum mheadhanach middle room and the rum mhor big room along with the schoolhouse.  There was a lobby doorway where the bell was rung in the morning and at the intervals.  The toilets which were at the back of the school had a cistern in each cubicle.  There was a well in Beann a Leig with piped water coming from it to the school and there was a header tank at the schoolhouse which had to be filled every day.  This was done using a pump which was just outside the schoolhouse.  The headmaster would select the strongest boys to man the pump.  We would compete with each other to see who could pump for the longest time.  When the tank was full the water would come out of the overflow pipe.  The water was used both in the schoolhouse and in the toilets.

Domhnall Alasdair Bhig from Cleasgro was the whipper-in or Compulsory Officer.  There was not much truancy.  If anyone needed a day off they had to ask for permission.  Some stayed off due to bad weather.  Those who had come in from the Bail ‘Ur  West End could not come in through snowdrifts.  Those who lived near the school had to turn up to register’.  

North Lochs Historical Society