Jim, Do you know the answer to this question. I know my great Uncles became miners in Tydesley at the age of 12. My Great Aunts were half day scholars and worked the other half in the cotton mill there. TIA Jean in Nova Scotia jphwhite@ns.sympatico.ca > > 1871 > > WINDLEHURST > > Samuel Ferns Widower 43 Coal Miner Cheshire, Marple > Matthew Ferns Son 18 Coal Miner Cheshire, Marple > Richard Ferns Son 17 Coal Miner Cheshire, Marple > John Ferns Son 12 Scholar 1/2 time Cheshire, Marple > Samuel Ferns Son 9 Scholar 1/2 time Cheshire, Marple > Betty Boud Servant - Widow 76 Housekeeper Cheshire, Marple > > Could anyone help me please - Samuel and John above are described as > Scholar half time, I understand from a Fiction book that I read recently > that half time schooling was offered to children in cotton mills. Does any > one know amy more than this - eg was it offered in the mines, did they pay, > or was another way of attracting cheap labour. > > tia > > MIchelle Ferns > > > ==== CHESHIRE Mailing List ==== > CHESHIRE-L Mailing List Archives: > http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > Just enter 'cheshire' at the prompt. > > --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.230 / Virus Database: 111 - Release Date: 1/25/01