David, You are right about victorian school monitors.....I found the following on the Davenant Foundation School website a while back.... It was in February 1680 that the Reverend Ralph Davenant drew up his will leaving all of his household goods and plate to his wife with the provision that it should eventually be sold and that the monies raised should be used to build a school for 40 poor boys of Whitechapel. Ralph Davenant was the son of the Rector of Gillingham in Dorset. Mr.Davenant became Rector of Whitechapel (St.Mary's) and was awarded the degree of M.A. by Cambridge University as a result of a directive from King Charles II. We don't actually know what the connection between Ralph Davenant and the King was but he (the King) was clearly impressed. In addition to the monies raised from the sale of plate and goods, a number of properties were also given over to the school so that rents and capital could be raised. These consisted of a farm at Sandon near Chelmsford, the site where Tilbury Fort is built and much of the land upon which the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway is built. Funds raised thereby went towards the additional educating of 34 poor girls. Boys were to learn reading , writing and arithmetic whilst the girls were to learn reading, writing and sewing. A site for the proposed school was found in the Whitechapel Road on the Lower Burial Ground.....the site is still occupied by the old school buildings and can be clearly seen when passing along the Whitechapel Road today. In 1813 a dramatic change took place when Davenant earned itself the title of 'Cradle of the National Schools of England'. Dr. Andrew Bell invented a system for educating hundreds of children with only one Master assisted by senior boys. This became known as the MONITORIAL system. 1000 children (600 boys and 400 girls) were educated by this system in a new building which was erected in Davenant Street. Regards, John Parker Romsey, Hampshire, England E-mail: ParkerFamHist@aol.com