Education

Children were not forced by law to go to school in Tudor and Stuart times. If they did attend, in most cases, the parents had to pay fees. In spite of this, by 1700 most children in towns got some schooling.

The sons and daughters of great lords had private tutors. As part of their studies, the sons spent from three to five years with their tutors on a 'Grand Tour' abroad. They learned to speak French, looked at works of art and buildings, and studied the laws of the countries of Europe.

The gentry and merchants sent their sons to the grammar schools. This is where they learned to read, write, and speak Latin. Latin was still the language of scholars in the universities. And it was to Oxford or Cambridge that the young gentry went after grammar school. After that, they studied the law for a few years at the Inns of Court in London.

Girls were expected to marry at an early age. So the daughters of the gentry stayed at home. They were taught to read and write, and to sew and manage a home by their mothers. Neither their fathers nor their mothers wanted to waste money on education.

Parish schools and, by 1700, charity schools were for the sons and daughters of craftsmen and labourers. They were better than nothing, but only just. The children learned to read and write, and to do simple sums. A lot of time was spent on scripture. But the teachers were untrained and badly paid, and there were not many books or much equipment. As a rule, the pupils left school to start work when they were ten or eleven years old.

Walter Robson: Crown, Parliament and People; Oxford University Press, 1992/2002, page 76