Author Andrew Marshall and his wife Louise purchased Wolsingham Parish Hall in 2011 and were interested to
find out a little more about the building which was now their family home. Quite early into his research,
Andrew discovered the building had in fact been built, not as a Parish Hall, but as a school for the ‘National
Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church in England and
Wales’ – thankfully more simply referred to as ‘The National Society’! Armed with this information, Andrew
was able to find several additional resources, including the Headmaster’s Log Books which are held in the
Durham records office. So, rather than simply researching the bricks and mortar of a building, he found himself
reading the words of actual living and breathing people whose lives had been centred around the very rooms
the family were now making their home.
The book includes key log book entries made by the various Wolsingham National School Headmasters and
Managers, and by researching the individuals known to have passed through the school doors, readers are
shown the many opportunities and disappointments life threw their way. These entries are interspersed with
newspaper articles of the time. The newspaper articles record key events in the transformation of a small rural
village through to becoming a major hub in the nation’s steel working industry. Articles also provide an
interesting indication of tolerance levels towards a wide range of local matters – from murder and wife-
beating, to chucking stones at pigeons!
Over 500 local individuals were researched for the book, including many young men who fought during WW1.
All the research not used in the book is available to view at www.wolsinghamnationalschool.co.uk where the
book can also be ordered with free local delivery.
