In a message dated 02/11/2003 22:43:08 GMT Standard Time, mgtmurdoch@clara.co.uk writes: > coal miner and school master. I am presuming that this possibly meant > teaching in a Sunday School Hi Margaret, As he was a coal miner I presume that he was teaching part time. He could have been a Sunday School Teacher as these schools provided part time schooling for working children. There were also charity schools, which provided widespread elementary schooling for the poor. The main ones were the "British and Foreign School Society" and the "National Society for the Education of the Poor", their schools became known as the "National" and "British" schools. The first teacher training colleges were established in the 1840s, so properly qualified teachers were all but impossible to obtain. Regards Stan Mapstone