The History of the Charity Schools in Bowdon

A dissertation for the Department of Education, the University of Leeds, 1966 containing the history of the two free charity schools founded with money left by Thomas Walton, gentleman by Mary Countess of Stamford for whose family Walton had worked as Steward at Dunham Hall in the ancient Parish of Bowdon, Cheshire. Seamon's Moss was originally in practice two schools, fifty boys were usually on the register as receiving charitable education and these formed the basis of the school as an institution. Oldfield House was occupied by boarding pupils as well as the master and his family. In 1867 John Hams became the headmaster and the school expanded rapidly in 1882 Thomas Johnson became the headmaster followed by Arthur Shepherd. The school closed in 1938. Little Heath school catered for those children of parents too poor to pay for any education. In 1870 a uniform was provided and in order to satisfy the Education Act of 1870 an extension was planned to avoid the neccessity of providing a board school for Dunham Massey.