1858-1861 Mainly Inspector Reports

1858-1861 Mainly Inspector Reports
Charles Martin's home page

1858 A Severe Report from a Severe Inspector.

1858 A Severe Report from a Severe Inspector.

By 1858 the enrollment of the school had increased to 125, and the average daily attendance was 90. On the day of the D.I.'s visit in April there were 116 in attendance. There were three members of staff - Charles Martin, Head Teacher, Elizabeth Martin, assistant teacher, F.L.Harnack, monitor.
Mr Orlibar, the Chief Inspector, visited on 23rd April. Charles had had a previous inspection from this same inspector some 18 months earlier at Pascoe Vale, and on that occasion had received from him qualified approval (with the word, "This small school is no sufficient test, but the appearances on the whole are in his favour'). Maybe Charles was a bit apprehensive about Mr Orlibar's visit, even though he had fared reasonably well on the previous occasion, as his reports on teachers often appear quite harsh, and no doubt he had built up some sort of a reputation as a tough D.I. If Charles was apprehensive, his apprehensions were by no means misplaced - this was to be a disastrous visit, with a highly critical and scathing report. Of the discipline Mr Orlibar said -

"Very bad; boys and girls equally disobedient. The strap is used with great severity, even with girls. Punishment, although severe, seems to be held in mockery among the children. The classes are most inattentive, seemingly owing to his ignorance of the first principles both of order and of discipline, and to an apparent incapacity of preventing disorder".

And in answer to the question "Does The Aim Seem To Be To Educate Or Merely To Instruct?" the inspector had commented -

"It seemed rather to get through the school hours."

(Which it probably was with an inspector like that watching your every move and making you feel inferior and incompetent, and paralysing your freedom of expression).
At the time of this inspection in April there had been an average attendance since the start of the year of 91, with 116 present on the day of the inspection. Included in this number were thirteen 3 year olds, sixteen 4 year olds and ten 5 year olds (a total of 39 children aged five or below) - as well as two aged 13 and two of 14. All in all a very, difficult mix. Charles and Elizabeth had charge of the whole school, the only help coming from a paid monitor who was 11 years old. No wonder Charles was in a frazzle and used the strap liberally on this day. I can imagine that, with the very critical nature of this inspector and the harshness of his report, Charles became really agitated as the day wore on, and the more frustrated and red-faced the teacher gets, the more the children respond by displaying ever more stupid behaviour. Probably all teachers have experienced this type of thing at one time or another. (It is, by the way, the first time that an inspector records Charles as using corporal punishment. Up to this time, punishments have always been by "keeping in", "moral discipline", etc.)
Mr Orlibar may have shown Charles what he wrote in his report although most likely he only communicated his scathing criticisms verbally, so we today probably have access to information that Charles himself never saw. However, the words that he wrote as part of the conclusion, if they were communicated to Charles, would have given him a shudder -

"If Mr Martin proves unequal to the management of a large school, he should be removed. For these reasons he should be considered as on trial."

No other school reports from this year have come down to us, but it is probable that Charles received another one or two inspections from other inspectors later in the year, and probably they were nowhere near as severe as the one from Mr Orlebar. Nevertheless, as school concluded for the Christmas break and as he reflected upon the year, I imagine Charles felt a little more subdued about his teaching career than he had previously.

"Secular and Compulsory" - EDUCATION ACT FAILED IN PARLIAMENT.

Also during this year, on the wider education front (which was no doubt only of passing interest to Charles) a bill was presented to parliament which would have abolished church control and state aid to religion and made education compulsory and secular. It failed to gain approval.

9th August -To Henry and Eleanor in Melbourne - a daughter, Alice Elizabeth.
To Hannah and Thomas (Farr) in Ballarat - a son, Edwin.
Martin John Crump, second child of James and Louisa, died - aged 3.

Inspector's Report - 23rd April, 1858.

Enrolled - 122. Average 56. Average since last inspection 91.
On Rolls at Inspection - 152 Present at Insp - 116
Religion - C/E 46 Pres 19 Wes 15 R/C 8 Other 2 Ind 5

BUILDINGS.

Material - Of brick - entirely new.
Premises - still incomplete
Number of Stories and Rooms - 2 stories, 7 rooms.
Number and Size of Rooms -1 school room 45 x 25; 2 classrooms 11 x 13. Amount of accommodation - for about 180.
Privies - separate but quite acceptable.
General Fitness of Premises - will be adequate when fenced.

FURNITURE.

Is It Adequate? In the large room ,,4 sets of 2 forms according to Commissioners Council plan: also 2 double desks, 2 forms-
Are There Places for Hanging caps, Etc? - Pegs around the room.
Is There a Large Blackboard? - 2 on castors.

ORGANISATION AND DISCIPLINE.

Monitors - They know nothing whatever of teaching or class discipline.
Is There Any Individual Instruction? - Arithmetic for the most part, and through bad order, the reading, although the children stand in class.
Fire Register and Records Correct? - Yes, except that rainy days have not been omitted.
Discipline Of School - Very bad: boys and girls equally disobedient.
What Rewards fire Used? -
What Punishment is Used? - The strap used with great severity, even with girls. Also standing out in so injudicious a position that it led to great disorder. Punishment, although severe, seems to be held in a mockery among the children.
State of School and Children as Regards Order and Cleanliness - Order of children very bad. Children not clean Order of school not good in some points (Blackboard caps in a heap unnecessarily).

TEACHER.

Charles Martin, £175; Entry 12/1/57; Age 30; Health - Good;
Hours on duty; 9 - 3; Denom - Bapt.; Race - Anglo-saxon (note - Some Norman, Celtic, Circassian.)
Elizabeth Martin - Mistress. £80 Entry; 12/1/57 Age 21.
Frederick Harnack - Monitor £20 11/11/57 Age 11
Manner - Bustling and energetic.
Tone of Voice - Good.
Skill in Keeping a Class Attentive - The classes are most inattentive, seemingly owing to his ignorance of the first principles both of order and of discipline, and to an apparent incapacity of preventing disorder.
State Shortly The Result of Your Oral Examination of The Teacher -
Method of Teaching - By enunciation of the proposition to be learnt, and simultaneous repetition. He frequently however drops the simultaneous repetition, lengthens his subject, and changes to examination.
Is His Teaching Intelligent or Mechanical? It is a mechanical development of the subject. Little attention seems to be paid to adducing thought. Ellipos is much used
Is the Examination Judicious and Animated? No.
Are Any Object Lessons Given? - Yes,
Does the Aim Seem to be to Educate or Merely to Instruct? It seemed rather to get through the school hours.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

1. Of 73 boys and 45 girls admitted, 18 boys and 11 girls have left, and 24 boys 6 girls re-admissions.
2. The increase of the school has been very rapid this year, and possibly the bad appearance of the school may be caused by this. Ballarat Township ought to be a Model School for this part of the colony. If Mr Martin proves unequal to the management of a large school, he should be removed. For these reasons he should be considered as on trial.
PREVIOUS INSPECTION -
Date Of Previous Inspection - Sub Inspector Glenn, 21/22 Dec 1857.
A.B.Orlebar.
1858 Staff List Image

1859.

Some time during this year a G.R. Divers and his wife moved to Ballarat from Melbourne and although this event did not involve Charles and Elizabeth at the time, it was to have far-reaching consequences for them in later years. It is recorded in the official minute book of the Dawson St Church of Christ -

"In eighteen hundred and fifty nine, Brother and Sister Divers (members of the congregation of Disciples in Melbourne) having come to reside at Ballarat commenced in their own House attending to the weekly observance of the Lords Supper reading the Scriptures Prayer and Praise. They were shortly afterwards joined by Brothers Neish, Collins, Rankin, and Lyall also by Mr and Mrs Bush of the Prahran Church".

This was the group which Charles was to join three years later, and which was to become the Dawson St Church of Christ.

At School.

    Mary Hitchcock was appointed to the staff on 20th April - apparently she replaced a Mr Harrison, as his name does not appear on the staff list later in the year. She apparently received a salary of only £30, which is a slight puzzle to me as she is more highly qualified than Elizabeth. (Mr Harrison had been receiving £80, plus £24 from the school fees). There is a note accompanying Mary's appointment to the effect that she will not receive any accommodation or rent allowance as she is Mrs Martin's sister.
    School was held for 241 days.
    The enrollment increased slightly to 139 but the average attendance was about the same at 86.
    The teachers were Charles, Elizabeth and Mary (quite a family affair), and it appears that Harnack (the monitor) had left. So on most days at school there were about 100 pupils, with three teachers.
    There were again quite a large number of young children at school - thirteen 3 year olds, fifteen 4 years olds, and eleven aged 5 (a total therefore of 39 at five years or under). At the other end there was one at 15, one at 14, and seven at 13 - quite a difficult mix.

    There is also a note by Inspector Brown in his report of activities that he had been "occupied" for two weeks (July] 2th - 22nd) "in organising the Ballarat Township School", and he then reports -

"I think that the township school is now in such a state as to render my presence there no longer necessary. l shall, therefore, during next week, examine the children attending it."

I'm not sure if this type of activity was a standard procedure, or whether it indicates that maybe the authorities weren't too happy with the state of things at the school. On Monday and Tuesday, 25th and 26th July, he carried out his examination and inspection.
In general the reports from this time on are rather bland, their format having been changed a little from previous years. However, there is one interesting comment which may give a clue as to the later problems which Charles was to experience with discipline -

"The boys in 4th and 5th classes have been allowed, when corrected, to become sulky and pettish, and this evil, through not being properly checked, displays itself on every possible occasion. This accounts for the shameful return on Geography, and affects in a less degree that of some of the other subjects."

Other relevant sections of the two reports for the year read -

Discipline Of School - Pretty fair - children tolerable and a considerable improvement over last year.
What Punishment is Used? - Corporal and keeping in.
Holidays - Two weeks at Christmas and one at Easter.
General Tone and Aspect of the School and Chn - Fairly satisfactory.

Discipline Of School - Very fair at present, but inclined to become rather lax.
What Punishment is Used? - A cane is used and extra tasks.
Average Time Pupils Attend School - In consequence of the great irregularity in attendance, children attending for a time, then absenting themselves for a month or two, and being re-admitted, it is impossible to furnish any reliable information.
General Tone and Aspect of the School and Children - Generally good.
Tone of Voice - Easy and collected.
Skill in Keeping a Class Attentive - Sufficient when exerted.
Is His Teaching Intelligent or Mechanical? Intelligent.
Is the Examination Judicious and Animated? - Rapid and judicious.
General Fitness. Thoroughly qualified in point of literary proficiency and teaching power, but rather deficient in the maintenance of order.

The income received by Charles and Elizabeth stayed at about the same level as the year before, which appears to have been about £375. As I do not know the incomes of the time, nor the cost of living, nor the expenses to which Charles and Elizabeth were subject, I do not know if this would be considered a high income or merely one that was about average. However, my impression is that it was probably fairly high for the times, as Charles had been receiving only £130 at Point Nepean, and apparently was able to live on it. This impression is reinforced when one takes into consideration the fact that he was able to buy land for the church a few years later, and advance a loan for a substantial building to be erected upon it.

To Louisa and James Crump in Heathcote, a son - Marcus Edward (4th child - 3 surviving)
Also in 1859, the marriage took place of Hannah Featherstone (Charles' future second wife) to William Anderson.

Inspector's Report - 1859 - 24th Feb.

Enrolled - 148 Average 96 On Roll at Insp - 109 Pres at Insp – 84.

BUILDINGS.

Number of Stories and Rooms - 4 room teachers house. 2 classrooms
Number and Size of Rooms -One schoolroom 45 x 25 Classrooms '13 x 11. Amount of accommodation - Accommodate 120.

FURNITURE.

Is It Adequate? Yes. Some new furniture recently supplied to the school consists of double desks
Is It Judiciously Arranged? - Yes
Are There Places for Hanging caps, Etc? - Yes
Are There Proper Places Putting Away Books and Requisites? Yes. Is There Sufficient Space for the Drafts? - Yes.
Is There a Large Blackboard? - Yes.

ORGANISATION AND DISCIPLINE.

Is There Any Individual Instruction? - Arithmetic.
Discipline Of School - Pretty fair and as below for State of School. What Rewards fire Used? - Prizes; taking places.
What Punishment is Used? - Corporal and keeping in.
State of School and Children as Regards Order and Cleanliness - School fair; children tolerable and a considerable improvement over last year.
Holidays - Two weeks at Christmas and one at Easter.
General Tone and Aspect of the School and Chn - Fairly satisfactory.

TEACHER.

Charles Martin - Rightly classified according to proficiency in teaching.
Elizabeth and Other staff - Ditto.

INCOME.

Aid From the Board - Teacher £175 Mrs M £100. Mr Harrison £80 + £24. Paid Monitor £20

PREVIOUS INSPECTION -

Date Of Previous Inspection - April 28, 1858. (NOTE This doesn't seem quite right as it was on April 23. Maybe a misprint.
D.I.Venables

Inspector's Report - 1859 - Dana St. 25th July.

Enrolled - 157 Average 88 (109 89 - On roll and present at insp?)

BUILDINGS.

Number of Stories and Rooms - 2 stories, 6 rooms, incl school rooms.
Number and Size of Rooms -2 School rooms 40 x 20 x15 14 x 12 x 10.

FURNITURE.

Is There a Large Blackboard? -2 Blackboards, each 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 feet.
What Large Maps Are I n The School? - A celestial and terrestrial globe, each 18" diameter. An arithmeticon and several diagrams illustrating different branches of natural science.
There are 170 feet of desks, 240 feet of forms.

ORGANISATION AND DISCIPLINE.

Is There a Time Table? - Yes
Is It Adhered To? -Yes
Discipline Of School - Very fair at present, but inclined to become rather lax.
What Punishment is Used? - A cane is used and extra tasks.
State of School and Children as Regards Order and Cleanliness -
Average Time Pupils Attend School - In consequence of the great irregularity in attendance, children attending for a time, them absenting themselves for a month or two, and being re-admitted, it is impossible to furnish any reliable information.
General Tone and Aspect of the School and Children - Generally good.

TEACHER.

Charles Martin, 31 years of age Trained 1852 Class 2 Div 1
Elizabeth Martin 22 Trained 1852 Class 3 Div 1
Mary Hitchcock 21 Commenced at school May 59 Trained 1857 CI 2 Div 2
Tone of Voice - Easy and collected.
Skill in Keeping a Class Attentive - Sufficient when exerted. Hand Writing - Good.
Is His Teaching Intelligent or Mechanical? Intelligent.
Is the Examination Judicious and Animated? - Rapid and judicious.
General Fitness. Thoroughly qualified in point of literary proficiency and teaching power, but rather deficient in the maintenance of order.

INCOME.

Male Tr - £175 per annum -less 5%.
Female - £100 p.a. less 5%
Assistant - £120 p.a. - less 5%
Paid monitor £20 p.a.
Aid From the Board -
Yearly Amount of Fees Paid to the School Board - 284.5 in 1858. Teacher's Yearly Income - About £450 for the two teachers
Does He Pay Rent for the House?- Paid £72 in 1858 towards liquidating debt on school and is still paying at rate of £25 per cent on school fees.
Rates of Payment by Children.
Are Wood and Water Easily Obtained by the Teacher?
How Are The Incidental Expenses for the School, Such as Wood and Water for the Children, Defrayed? - By the teacher.
Arrangements for Religious Instruction - Special Religious Instruction may be given from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On only 2 or 3 occasions has a clergyman availed himself of the opportunity.

DEFECTS.

Too much individual instruction in Arithmetic. Imperfect discipline.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.
The statement under F is an accurate return on the result of my examination, though not, I think, of the actual proficiency as regards the 4th and 5th classes. The boys in these classes have been allowed, when corrected, to become sulky and pettish, and this evil, through not being properly checked, displays itself on every possible occasion. This accounts for the shameful return on Geography, and affects in a less degree that of some of the other subjects.

D.I. Brown.

I find the above remark of Inspector Brown in "General Observations" to be extremely illuminating, as it actually details the weakness displayed by Charles which gave rise to his disciplinary problems -

"The boys, have been allowed, when corrected, to become sulky and pettish, and this evil, through not being properly checked, displays itself on every possible occasion."

Also the remark under the heading of "Defects" that there was "Imperfect discipline ". and under "General Fitness" -

"Thoroughly qualified in point of literary proficiency and teaching power, but rather deficient in the maintenance of order."

The collective impact of all these comments does indicate that there was a weakness in this direction which came to the fore quite early in Charles' teaching career. The indications are that it wasn't a serious problem during his long stay at Ballarat, but certainly became a real problem in his final years of teaching.

Possible photos Charles and Elizabeth

To Louisa Crump, a son - Marcus E - almost certainly at Castlemaine

1860

1st January. Charles was presented with a Bible by the members of the "Yuille St Baptist Sabbath School". The Bible is in the possession of Mrs Barbara Breen of Grovedale, a descendent of Leonard Martin, Apollo Bay. The inscription reads as follows -

"Presented to Mr C. Martin as a small token of their esteem for earnest and disinterested labours for their spirit and improvement and welfare by the members of the Bible Class connected with the Baptist Sabbath School. Yuille St., Ballarat. January 1st 1860".

    I'm not sure of the significance of the presentation. Charles had been associated with the church there for three years. He had obviously been teaching this Sunday School class. He remained with the church for another two years, so he may on this occasion have been relinquishing the Sunday School class into the care of another. Or it may have been a spontaneous presentation by the class as a token of appreciation.
April 1st - Teachers' Salaries reduced. A government directive stated as follows -"Notice is hereby given that the reduction of five pound per centum upon all salaries and allowances paid to teachers, workmistresses, pupil teachers, and paid monitors will be continued during the present year". I'm not sure exactly what is meant by the expression "five pounds per centum" - I guess a reduction of five per cent as a type of tax. No doubt Charles grumbled about this - and all his colleagues.
7th June. Miriam Hannah (3rd child) born. She was to die 11 months later. However, during this year, Charles and Elizabeth now had three children, Charles jnr who turned five in July, Charlotte who turned three in May, and Miriam the baby.
2nd May. A letter was forwarded to Charles from Head Office, stating that, "In reply to your letter of 27th, the appointment of Miss Mary Hitchcock is approved at a salary of £30 per annum, which is the greatest amount allowed by the Board". I am not sure as to why this letter was sent, as Mary had been appointed more than 12 months earlier, and if she is the "Assistant" mentioned in the Inspector's report of the previous year (which seems logical) then she was earning £120. This also seems to correspond with the fact that sometime during the year Elizabeth received promotion to Class 2 Division 2, which meant a salary jump to £120 (from - probably £100). So this detail is a little hard to puzzle out.
    Mary must have resigned towards the end of the year, as she was replaced on 13th November. I assume that this is the time of her marriage to William Davey, who in later years was to become a member of the Board of Officers at the Dawson Street Church, and a loyal supporter of Charles through all the turbulence that was to come to pass there.
    Ann Wynne, who replaced Mary, was a monitress, and her church affiliation is listed as "Baptist”. Charles and Elizabeth are also listed as "Baptist".

There is no copy of the Inspector's Report for 1860, but Mr Venebles inspected the school on 23 July, and at that time there were 116 on the roll, the average daily attendance being 84.

    In 1860, Mary Hitchcock, was married to William Davey - almost certainly in Ballarat. Also in 1860, a son, John, was born to William and Hannah Anderson in Ballarat.

1861

Death of Miriam - 28/4/61 (approx).
Miriam Hannah was buried on the 30th April, aged 11 months. No doubt this was a very sad occasion for the parents, Charles being 33 years of age at this time and Elizabeth 24. A grave plot was purchased in the Ballarat cemetery in which Charles himself was eventually buried. In the meantime three others were buried there - Elizabeth's sister, Mary Davey, nee Hitchcock, buried December 1881, aged 42, and two of her children who had predeceased her (Mabel and Edwin - died 1867 and 1879).
The eldest son, Charles Henry jnr. was nearly six years of age when Miriam died, so no doubt remembered the death of his little sister. Charlotte Elizabeth was not quite four, so probably only remembered the incident vaguely.

School was held for 236 days. The average attendance was 76 (down by about 15 from the previous four years). There were 14 Roman Catholics (down from 43 the previous year - maybe Charles had offended them - or more likely they'd opened a school nearby).

The correspondence reveals that on -

25th May - the "Commissioners will allow a Probationer's Assistant when the average attendance reaches 100. Meantime, an additional monitor may be employed at £15 per annum."
14th June - "Elizabeth Martin to get full salary from 1st June, according to her provisional classification."
17th June - "Elizabeth Martin to get increased remuneration until a suitable monitor can be found."

To Mary (nee Hitchcock) and William Davey in Ballarat - a son - also named William.
To Henry in Melbourne - a son - Charles Thomas.
To Louisa (Crump) in Heathcote (or Castlemaine), a daughter, Elizabeth.

Inspector's Report - 1861 - 25th Apr.

Enrolled- 135 Average 83
Religion - C/E - 22 R/C - 10 Pres – 25 Wes - 7 Ind - 1 Other - 12.
Class 1- All learn writing and tables, 8 boys, 8 girls write on slates.
Class 2 - All learn geography, 8 boys 3 girls learn addition, 2 boys multiplication and short division. 7 boys 2 girls write on slate, 4 boys 2 girls on paper. They do not learn any grammar. Learn geog and simple rules of arithmetic, 2 boys as far as long division. All write on paper, 1 boy 2 girls fairly
Class 3 - All learn parts of speech and geography of World and Europe. 2 boys and 1 girt write fairly from dictation. 3 boys can work long division. 4 boys learn and 3 can readily work money addition. 5 boys and 2 girls write fairly.
Class 4 - 1 boy can parse. 5 boys and 4 girls know parts of speech - only 2 boys know Latin roots. 1 boy and 1 girl know the map of the world, 1 girl Europe. 2 girls write dictation with correct spelling, 6 boys 2 girls fairly. 7 boys 3 girls can work long division readily. 2 boys learn mensuration, 1 Latin.
Class 5 - 2 boys 1 girl can parse and know Latin roots. 3 boys write well from Dictation 1 Girl with correct spelling. 2 boys know map of world, 1 Europe, 1 Australia. 2 can work proportion and fraction, 1 also decimals. 2 boys learn mensuration, 1 Algebra, 1 Latin. 2 boys 1 girl write fairly.
Is There a Time Table? - In the class room.
Discipline Of School - Good.
Holidays - 7 days at Easter, 14 days at Christmas.
General Tone and Aspect of the School and Children Satisfactory.

TEACHER.

Charles Martin, 33 years of age Appointed May 57 Date of Training and Present Classification -CI 2 Div 1.
Peculiarities in Pronunciation - Aspirations incorrect.
Peculiarities in Voice - None, except as above.
Hand Writing - Fair
Skill in Teaching- Fair
Skill in Class management - Fair.
Skill in School Management - Fair.

INCOME.

Aid From the Board - Salary £175 Mrs Martin £100 Monitress £20
Yearly Amount of Fees Paid to the School Board - 1/10 off fees.
Teacher's Yearly Income - By fees at £179.
D.I.Venebles?

Inspector's Report - 1861 - 22 Oct.

Enrolled - 135 Average 84
Religion - C/E - 26 R/C - 8 Pres - 26 Wes - 15 Other-4

INCOME.

Teacher's Yearly Income - CM - £175 EM £120 Monitor £35
Any Other Income - Subs £16 By fees -£165
Discipline - Fair.
Punishment - Corporal and keeping in.
General Tone - Satisfactory.
Peculiarities in Pronunciation - Aspiration defective.
Defects and Recommendations - The time of those at desks not fully occupied; give them a definite task.

D.I.Sircom?

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