Hi all, I just registered on the forum.
I've been doing some family research - quite a few relatives come from the midlands. I found some of my Grandfather's notes. He was born on a farm in Rous Lench in 1880 before moving to Salford Priors, then Birmingham (this was the time of the great late 19thC depression in agriculture). He eventually went to Saltley College, where he says there "was an excess of scripture"! He went to work at 14 years old - 1894, so not long before those great old photos were taken. I imagine that only boys from middle class families went to such college-schools (?) but I don't know anything about 19thC schooling.
I've been doing some family research - quite a few relatives come from the midlands. I found some of my Grandfather's notes. He was born on a farm in Rous Lench in 1880 before moving to Salford Priors, then Birmingham (this was the time of the great late 19thC depression in agriculture). He eventually went to Saltley College, where he says there "was an excess of scripture"! He went to work at 14 years old - 1894, so not long before those great old photos were taken. I imagine that only boys from middle class families went to such college-schools (?) but I don't know anything about 19thC schooling.