Corporal Punishment in 1903

Jim Allen contacted the school recently. He had a dark tale to tell.

His grandfather, William Cornish, when an 11 year old pupil at the school was attacked and beaten by the headmaster. Apparently the headmaster 'went beserk' hitting him with extreme force. Not surprisingly, William's father, Edwin Cornish, did not consider the head a fit person to teach his son and William was sent to the Methodist School at New Scotland Hill.

William Cornish as a baby with this mother,  Mary  Hannah Cornish
1st May 1892

William Cornish

Edwin Cornish

At the time the family lived in the house now known as Tumbledown, on the High Street, Sandhurst

Tumbledown, High Street Sandhurst

Update 5th Feb 2012: Excerpt from school log book from 5th & 7th October 1913:

Excerpt from School Logbook Page 394, 1903

Log book entry reads:
Oct 5th. I punished two boys W Cornish & R Grove this morning for insubordination, the former said his father had told him not to do as he was told. I have sent fro his father who did not come.
Oct 7th. The father has taken out a summons. I have to appear before the magistrates on Oct 13th
The punishment was 6 stripes on lower part of back.


From the newspaper report on the case (13th October 1903):

"At the Wokingham County Bench on Tuesday before Sir Warwick Morehead and other magistrates, George Oldham, of Sandhurst Church School, schoolmaster, was summoned for assaulting William Cornish, son of Edwin Cornish of Sandhurst Street, auxiliary postman."

In those days, caning was a seen as an acceptable method of maintaining discipline within a school. From the news report, it would seem  that Mr Cornish objected not to the fact that William had been caned, but to the manner of the caning.  Caning was normally administered  to the hand. In this case,  William resisted and struggled with the master. As a result,  the caning, in this instance, was applied to the legs and left visible marks.

After hearing both sides and calling several witnesses, the Chairman and the magistrates were unanimously of opinion that the case must be dismissed. 

The school would like to thank Mr Allen for his kind permission to use the images in this blog post.