The Story of Sunday Schools
Sunday School teaching began almost at the birth of the Methodist movement, and was one of the reasons why it was so popular and spread so rapidly.
The benefit of a free education which didn’t prevent children earning money was obvious, and many adults also learnt to read for the first time. Even non-attenders were welcome, as the numbers at Heptonstall in 1801 show, with 337 members and 1,002 scholars.
But there was also a political dimension to the Methodist movement, with many active in trade unions and the suffrage movement, for which literacy was a prerequisite. There was early ambivalence about whether writing could be taught on the Lord’s Day, with some only offering this in weekday evening classes.
The benefit of a free education which didn’t prevent children earning money was obvious, and many adults also learnt to read for the first time. Even non-attenders were welcome, as the numbers at Heptonstall in 1801 show, with 337 members and 1,002 scholars.
But there was also a political dimension to the Methodist movement, with many active in trade unions and the suffrage movement, for which literacy was a prerequisite. There was early ambivalence about whether writing could be taught on the Lord’s Day, with some only offering this in weekday evening classes.
The Diamond Jubilee parade, Smithwell Lane, 1897.
But despite this, numbers swelled dramatically across the valley, with Methodist Sunday School provision dwarfing even that of the Anglicans. By 1833, 20 of 49 Sunday Schools in the Upper Calder Valley were Methodist, accounting for 44 per cent of the 9,669 enrolments, more than double the Anglican proportion. Ten years later, the numbers had tripled. The huge popularity came from the way religion and education were mixed with entertainment and outings. The five-yearly “Whitsuntide Sings” held between 1831 and 1890, commemorating the inauguration of the Sunday School movement, were vivid memories for generations of children. In 1841, 17,000 attended the third Jubilee sing at the Piece Hall, in 1890, 38,000 Sunday School teachers and scholars attended.
School superintendents early understood the importance of incentives, and Sunday School prizes, usually books of the children's choosing, were awarded for even occasional visits, with progressively grander prizes for regular attendance.
However, as state education became more widespread after the Education Act of 1870, so the Sunday School movement peaked and declined. By 1939, Heptonstall had only 50 children on the Sunday School roll. Throughout the 20th century, efforts were made nationwide to boost numbers with recruitment drives and new activites such as the Boys’ Brigade, and Methodist Guide and Brownie troupes. A more tolerant attitude also led to more plays, dances and pantomimes, with tennis clubs and, later, modern youth clubs.
Although the decline in numbers was never really halted, Sunday Schools provided entertainment and memories for many years to come.
However, as state education became more widespread after the Education Act of 1870, so the Sunday School movement peaked and declined. By 1939, Heptonstall had only 50 children on the Sunday School roll. Throughout the 20th century, efforts were made nationwide to boost numbers with recruitment drives and new activites such as the Boys’ Brigade, and Methodist Guide and Brownie troupes. A more tolerant attitude also led to more plays, dances and pantomimes, with tennis clubs and, later, modern youth clubs.
Although the decline in numbers was never really halted, Sunday Schools provided entertainment and memories for many years to come.
An early pantomime at Heptonstall Chapel Sunday School.. Picture courtesy of Susan Marlor.
A three-day programme for a "Grand Christmas 'At Home'" from 1915, held in the Heptonstall Chapel Sunday School. The war theme predominates, with many patriotic items.
Season tickets were 2 shillings for adults, 1 shilling and threepence for children, single day tickets for one shilling. Proceeds were for school funds.
Season tickets were 2 shillings for adults, 1 shilling and threepence for children, single day tickets for one shilling. Proceeds were for school funds.
A programme of events from 1921, now reduced to two days. An "Indian Club Exhibition" was a demonstration of swinging heavy clubs, a popular form of exercise at the time. Both programmes courtesy of Fay Fielding.
A full account of the Sunday School movement in Halifax and the Calder Valley, on which this article draws, is given in John A Hargreaves’ “’Suffer the Children’: Methodist Attitudes to Education and Youth in Halifax, 1800-2000”, published in Volume 12 of the Transactions of the Halifax Antiquarian Society and available in local libraries.
