Oh dear a debate on illiteracy containng the wrong rote :-) More seriously, my Great Granddad born 1859 so was in the 1861 census. A member of a master talor's family and skilled tailor himself he taught all his children to read. Thus my Nan (b1886) taught my Mum who taught my brother and me. The same as Nivard, by the time I started school (1934) I could read simple books and write block letters. Although I had to change from Mum's pencil and paper to small blackboard (with painted lines) and chalk But this was in London and the children of skilled men. Much of the area and people we are talking of are rural agricultural labourers with children working. Even the 1877 Act with one teacher simultanously teaching four classes had six weeks summer holday to help with the harvest written in. In prosperous Cambridge in 1891 in what seems a middle class area are 'general servants' in different households aged 11 and 12. Out in the country areas even in 1891 the ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, July 25, 2014 11:06 PM Subject: NORFOLK Digest, Vol 9, Issue 191 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Literacy of the population 1841 (Rosemary Jones) > 2. Re: NORFOLK Digest, Vol 9, Issue 190 (Glynn Burrows) > 3. Re: Literacy of the population 1841 (Bonnie Ostler) > 4. Re: Literacy of the population 1841 (Nivard Ovington) > 5. Re: Literacy of the population 1841 (Bonnie Ostler) > 6. Re: Literacy of the population 1841 (Nivard Ovington) > 7. Re: Literacy of the population 1841 (Mike Fry) > 8. Re: Literacy of the population 1841 (Nivard Ovington) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > To contact the NORFOLK list administrator, send an email to > [email protected] > > To post a message to the NORFOLK mailing list, send an email to > [email protected] > > __________________________________________________________ > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] > with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body > of the > email with no additional text. >