Its owners and some historical connections - Lackham Countryside ...

The Manor of Alderton 3 rd edition
The Schoolmistress received very little pay – sometime after John Neelds
death in March 1856 it was only £10 per annum, although the house was rent
free and she also received the money the children paid for schooling 406 . The
teaching was mostly reading, writing, and sewing for the girls. Goddard
recorded that Mr Neeld paid for the firewood. The quality of the education
gained was not high, the Vicar certainly felt that there was scope for
improvement 407
Three years later there was a Schools Inspection; the quality of instruction
was not recorded but from this visit we know that the population was 182 a
slight increase from the census of 1851 but only 6 more than thiry years earlier
408 .
The Neeld family house was located at Grittleton, and the focus necessarily
changes away from Alderton at this time. Specific references to Alderton
Wilts Gazette June 7th 1928 in six parts, reprinted as a MSS, WANHS Library, shelf
19
“Funny as it may sound, I do not believe that she ever learned to write, but taught
herself after she was schoolmistress.”
405 Goddard F (printed 1928) Reminiscences of a Wiltshire Vicar: 1841-1893 Wilts
Gazette June 7 th 1928 in six parts, reprinted as a ss WANHS library shelf 19
406 Goddard, F. (printed 1928) ibid They paid 1d per week each (assuming it was
actually paid which may not always have been the case. This came to “about £20 per
annum”
407 Goddard, F. (printed 1928) ibid “as regards the education of the children it is
time there should be an improvement ……. we did not move rapidly in Alderton, or the
small parishes near it, in the matter of education”.
408 Warburton (1859) Census of Wiltshire Schools – An account of all Day schools for
children of the Labouring Classes arranged by Parishes in the County of Wiltshire by
the rev William Warburton MA, one of her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools
The population was fairly steady. Goddard gives the following census figures :
Census dates pop.
1821 176
1841 180
1851 178
118