There
are no secular state schools in majority non-religious England and if you live
in Henfield, Sussex (population about 5000) and have young children then they
can only attend a local school if you are happy for them to attend St Peter’s
Church of England Primary School which, as is standard practice, has the local
vicar as a school governor. He writes on the school’s website that he is “delighted
to be forging links with the teaching staff, parents and pupils of St Peter’s
School, and am excited about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in
assemblies and classroom discussions”. In many countries, such proselytizing in publicly-funded schools would be very straightforwardly illegal.
Until
2024 St Peter’s had Voluntary Aided status – that is, status as a Church of
England school receiving government funding – and is now an academy school
within the Hurst Educational Trust which “partners” with the Diocese of
Chichester. Plus ça change.
The
school’s present character is the legacy of a voluntary endeavour dating back
to 1812. It seems that an original National Society school in Henfield was for
both boys and girls but became boys-only, necessitating the creation in 1819 of
a school for girls and which – as the letter transcribed below indicates -
promptly sought affiliation to the National Society, shorthand for its full
title as the National Society for Promoting the Religious Education of the
Poor in the Principles of the Established Church.
The
first signature on this letter is that of the Reverend Henry Comyn who
designates himself a curate and is presumably curate of Henfield’s St Peter’s
Church. Unfortunately, King’s College London (originally an Anglican establishment)
has recently (October 2026) moth-balled its invaluable Church of England clergy
database with the result that I cannot confirm that this Henry Comyn is the
same as the one who has a very interesting history. As a curate in Hampshire
(which neighbours West Sussex) he is credited with carrying out in 1817 the first
recognisably modern census in the parishes of Boldre and Brockenhurst, listing
in his notebooks all the dwellings, their inhabitants, their ages and
occupations, and so on. These notebooks have been preserved and are in the Hampshire
Records Office. The church living of St Peter’s Henfield was held for nearly seventy
years by the Reverend George Guy who habitually employed curates to do his job;
Henry Comyn could have been employed for a short period to cover a vacancy.
The
“E.Borrer” who is the second signatory of the letter is most probably Elizabeth
Borrer, wife of William Borrer who lived in Henfield and was a botanist,
significant enough to have a fairly lengthy Wikipedia page.
The
letter is addressed to The Reverend Tindall Thompson Walmsley who was the first
secretary of the National Society and a significant figure in his own right.
Transcription
Addressed
to: Dr T T Walmsley Secr to the
Central National School Society
Baldwin’s Gardens London
Datelined:
Henfield National School for Girls opened Octr 22nd 1819
Docketing
notes: Rev Comyn Henfield March 7th 1820; Union of Girls
Henfield Sussex Chichester [Diocese]22
Oct 1819; Ans 9 Mar 1820
Postmarked
STEYNING PENNY POST (undated); London receiver mark 7 MR 1820
It
is the Wish of those who have the management of the School at Henfield – that
the same should be united to the National Society.
In
this School the national System of Teaching is adopted the Children are
instructed in the Liturgy and Catechsim of the Established Church and do
constantly attend Divine Service at their Prish Church or other placee of
Worship under the Establishment as far as the same is practicable on the Lord’s
Day unless such reason be assigned for their non-attendance as shall be
satisfying to the persons having the direction of the School No Religious
Tracts shall be used in the school but such as re or shall be contained in the
Catalogue of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge.
Signed
by the Parochial Minister and others of the Inhabitants and then transmitted to
the Secretary of the National Society in London
Revd. Hy Comyn,
Curate
E.Borrer
Catherine Heather
Ann Smith
Jane Becket
J M Grigson
A Wisden
References
https://stpetershenfield.org.uk/
Wikipedia:
William Borrer
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