A National Census has been taken every ten years since 1801.  The Census is a head count of everyone in the country on a given day, usually in March, April or June.  The first useful Census for family historians, giving a list of names of every individual in each household, was in 1841.  The results of the 1931 census were destroyed by fire in 1942, and no census was taken in 1941. However, a “1939 Register” was taken at the outbreak of the Second World War, in order to produce identity cards and, in 1940, ration books.  Census results are revealed after a gap of 100 years, and so 1911 is the last one to which we have access at present.  The results of the 1939 Register are partially available, as explained below.

I have searched the Census returns for Warwick School (and, before the change of name and location, the King’s School, Warwick) and have found that not only do these give fascinating information about each headmaster’s family, but also, quite crucially, the resident teaching and non-teaching staff.  In most cases the Census was taken on a day where the pupils’ boarding houses were full, and so there are full lists of boarders, too.

Record-keeping at Warwick School in the 19^th century (and earlier) can only be described as shambolic.  The Admissions Register for pupils only starts in 1871, and the Staff Register in 1899.  No records of Victorian non-teaching staff have survived, and, indeed, records of the later army of “servants”, as they were called, are fragmentary.

1841
The 1841 Census was taken on 6^th June of that year, and only three people were resident at “The College”.  There is no sign of the headmaster, 82-year-old Rev George Innes, who died just over a year later, in 1842, and neither are there any boarders.  Rev Innes had, in fact, stopped taking in boarders around the year 1816.  The following ladies were the only occupants in June 1841:

Isabella Innes, 70, Independent means
Mary Innes, 65, Independent means
Elizabeth Innes, 35, Independent means.

Isabella was Rev Innes’ wife, and Elizabeth (presumably) their daughter.  Mary was probably his sister, acting as housekeeper.

1851
By 1851 Rev Herbert Hill was well established as the headmaster of the King’s School.  It is clear that he had a large and young family, and there are now seven resident servants in the College.  The 1851 Census was taken on 30^th March, and the lack of boarders suggests that the Easter holidays may have been in full swing.  Rev Hill’s wife Bertha was the daughter of the “Lakeland Poet” Robert Southey (1774 – 1843), who had served as Poet Laureate for 30 years until his death.  It is noteworthy that a close friend of Southey was Walter Savage Landor.

Herbert Hill, 40, Clergyman. MA of Oxford. Head Master of the King’s School.
Bertha Hill, 42
Katherine Hill, 11, Scholar
Herbert A. Hill, 9, Scholar
Edward A. Hill, 8, Scholar
Dora G. Hill , 7, Scholar
Bertha A. Hill, 6, Scholar
Edith M. Hill, 2
Arthur P. Hill, 1
James Newby, 22, House servant
Jane Smith,  43, House servant
Elizabeth Smith, 23, House servant
Lucy Hotley, 22, House servant
Hannah Evetts 16, House servant
Catherine Smith, 53, Cook Nurse
Catherine Smith, 22, Temporary servant.

1861
The 1861 Census was taken on 7^th April – once again, in the middle of the Easter holidays. Easter Sunday was on 31^st March that year.  We see no boarders in residence, therefore, but we have the whole of the Hill family, and only three servants. The address is given simply as “Butts”.  There is no complete agreement with the names and ages of the Hill children 10 years on from 1851, but this is not unusual in Census returns.

Herbert Hill, 50, Clergyman with no care of souls. H M of the King’s School.
Bertha Hill, 52
Katherine Hill, 21
Herbert S. Hill, 19
Edward S. Hill, 18, Lieutenant in 3^rd Wark Militia
Dora D. Hill, 17, Scholar
Bertha A. Hill, 17, Scholar
Walter B. Hill, 14, Scholar
Arthur P. Hill, 11, Scholar
Elizabeth Hendley, 23, Cook
Frances Hazelgrove, 16, General servant
Lucy Lawrence, 14, General servant
Alice Booker, 15, General servant

1871
By 1871, Rev Herbert Hill was five years away from retirement, and three of his children had left home.  The address of the King’s School is given as “18 The Butts (The Colledge School)”.  The 1871 Census was taken on 2^nd April, and Easter was on 9^th April in that year – so there are no boarders.  Mrs Bertha Hill’s name does not appear, and it is feared that she had died by this time.

Herbert Hill, 60, Clergyman. Head Master of Grammar School
Herbert S. Hill, 29          
Arthur P. Hill, 20, Scholar
Katherine Hill, 31, Clergyman’s daughter
Dora G. Hill , 27, Clergyman’s daughter
Jane Wingate, 23, Cook
Ellen Dean, 23, General servant
Mary A. Smith, 16, General servant.

1881
By this time, Rev Herbert Hill had retired from teaching, but had been appointed as Master of the Lord Leycester Hospital, where he is listed in the Census as living with two of his children, Herbert S. Hill (aged 49) and Bertha A. Hill (aged 47).  By 1881, of course, the school had moved to brand new premises at Myton, and the short headmastership of Rev W. F. MacMichael (1876 – 1880) was over.  Rev William Grundy had just taken over as head, and had also just married an 18-year-old.  His sister, not much older, was working as a matron.  Despite the Census being taken that year on 3^rd April, 14 boarders between the ages of 10 and 14 are listed as being resident.

William Grundy, 30, Schoolmaster. Holy Orders.
Margaret Grundy,18, Wife
Charlotte Grundy, 26,Sister
Edward Haigh, 29, Asst master
Gilbert G. Walter, 22, Asst master
Sophia Clifford, 33, Cook
Elizabeth Mason, 30, Cook
Emma Warner, 19, Housemaid
George Harris, 44, Hall Porter
Emma Ireland, 30, Matron
[Plus 14 boarders]

Bridge House was occupied in 1881 by a 61-year old outfitter, Thomas Ball, his wife and three servants, but it is doubtful whether they had any connection with the school at all.

1891
By 1891 the successful headmastership of Rev John Pearce Way was in full swing, and the Junior House (which Way had paid for) had been open for a couple of years, too.  Like Grundy before him, Way had married a very young lady, Gertrude Leach, in 1890 and they hadn’t had any children by 1891.  The number of servants had increased dramatically, in line with the number of boarders (and day pupils).  So, too, had the number of resident bachelor masters.  The headmaster and his wife seem to have had three servants of their own, and there were 13 more (some very young!) for the boarders.  The Junior House had seven servants, and one resident bachelor master.  In this Census, taken on 5^th April, there were 65 boarders resident in the Senior House (including 12-year-old John Masefield), and 27 in the Junior House.

School House
John P. Way, 40, Headmaster
Gertrude, Way, 22, Wife
Elizabeth Webb, 30, Servant
Emily Chambers, 23, Servant
Mary Grubb, 19, Servant
[Plus 65 boarders]

Annie Danday, 56, Lady’s Matron
Elizabeth Lampella, 54,, Under matron
Florence Branden, 26, Housemaid
Clara Parker, 17,Housemaid
Lizzie Barnacle, 15,  Kitchen maid
Annie Woodwith, 17, Housemaid
Nellie Gough, 15, Housemaid
Lizzie Blencoe, 17,  Kitchen maid
Annie Hine, 25,  Laundry maid
Do Logan, 19,  Porter
Frederick Heath, 19, Under porter
William Allport, 57, Steward
Edith Parker, 18, Servant
Barry Meade, 33,  Asst master
John Liddle, 30, Asst master
Robert Davis, 32,  Asst master
William Waite, 30, Asst master

Junior House
Frederick G. J. Page, 28, Schoolmaster. Clerk in Holy Orders.
Constance Page, 27, Wife
[Plus 27 boarders]

Charles Lynes, 34, Servant domestic
Margaret Hourigan, 41, Cook
Esther Mould, 33, Matron
Lottie Barnacle, 18, Housemaid
Emily Epps, 24, Parlour maid
Ella Woodhouse, 16, Kitchen maid
Mary Robinson, 51, Nurse
Paul A. Cobbold, 28, Schoolmaster

1901
In 1901 the headmastership of Rev Robert Percival Brown at Warwick School was nearing its unfortunate end, and at the same time the headmaster of the King’s Middle School in The Butts, H. S. Pyne, was keeping his eye on what was going on over the river.  The census was taken during term-time on 31^st March 1901, and it is particularly interesting to see from it that H. S. Pyne was taking boarders into his own house, completely against regulations.  His daughter, Mona Grace Pyne, died shortly after the census was taken.  At Warwick School we see not only an astonishing number of servants (particularly since one of the charges laid against Rev Percival Brown was that the number of pupils was going down – and where did all these servants live?) but also his family, about which little is known except that Hilda Brown later became a headmistress at Doncaster High School.
The Butts (Boys’ Middle School)
Horace Seymour Pyne, 36, Headmaster (School)
Hannah Huxley Pyne , 40,  Wife
Horace Orry Pyne, 13
Mona Grace Pyne, 12
Ethel Huxley Pyne, 10
Arthur Huxley Pyne, 9
Eric Wilfred Pyne, 4
Frank Norman Brittan,13, Nephew
Henry Ernest Johnson, 14, Boarder
William Welch, 15, Boarder
Martha H. Herneshaw ,18, Servant. Cook (domestic)
Nellie Fretwell, 14, Servant. General (domestic)

Warwick School
Robert P. Brown, 39, Headmaster
Jane Brown,  39, Wife
Mary G. M. Brown, 14
Hilda Brown, 11
Robert Davies, 42, Schoolmaster
John W. F. Forbes, 31, Schoolmaster
Alfred Thomas, 30, Schoolmaster
Ernest Sola, 23, FRCO. Organist & schoolmaster
Thomas B. Sills, 23, Schoolmaster
Selina Shepherd, 46, Lady Matron
John L. Cootes, 37, Servant (time expired soldier)
John Wood, 36, Soldier on furlough
Mary E. Bryant, 25,,  Parlour maid
Maria K. E. Siebert, 55, Cook
Charlotte E. Bryant, 27, Cook
Selina Weetman, 21, Housemaid
Hannah Drake, 30, Housemaid
Mary E. Knight , 22, Housemaid
Ada C. Lowndes, 20, Housemaid
Edith A. Averill , 22, Housemaid
Jane C. Turnbull, 25, Sewing maid
Mary E. Baldwin, 24, Laundry maid
Maud M. Cope, 20, Laundry maid
Mary F. Pemberton, 18,Laundry maid
[Plus 35 boarders]

William P. Richardson, 40, Head (Junior House)
Louisa Richardson,  49, Sister
Mary A. Hinks, 27, Housemaid
Elizabeth Davis, 36, Cook
[Plus 11 boarders, including Cecil Meiggs, aged 11, whose death at the school the following year prompted the donation of the east window of the school chapel.]

1911
By this time H. S. Pyne had been the headmaster of Warwick School for five years.  The census was taken on 2^nd April, 1911, which was early enough for the school to be in full swing.  Once again we find an astonishing number of resident servants, some very young indeed, and the usual resident bachelor teaching staff.
Warwick School
Horace Seymour Pyne, 46,  Schoolmaster (Headmaster)
Hannah Huxley Pyne, 50
Horace Orry Pyne, 24, Engineer’s asst. (Electrical power)
Ethen Huxley Pyne, 20          
Arthur Huxley Pyne, 19, School
Eric Wilfred Pyne, 14 , School
Annie Hawley, 39, School matron
John Lovatt, 14, Page boy
Alice Tandy, 23, Housemaid
Olive Shepherd, 14, Kitchen maid
Bertha Milton,  26, Laundry maid
Alice Broomfield, 35, Cook
Eleanor White, 15, Kitchen maid
Ivy Edith Duchett , 16, Housemaid
Thomas John Lewis, 41, Assistant master
Charles Reeve Beechey, 32,  Assistant master
John West, 23, Assistant master
Fred^k James Kemp,  26,Assistant master
Alec Douglas Wm. Fleming, 24, Assistant master
Arthur Henry Doherty, 43, Assistant master
[Plus 35 boarders]

Junior School
William V. P. Hexter, 39, Schoolmaster & Housemaster
Kathleen Hexter , 35
[Plus 7 boarders]

Margaret Elder,  51, Cook
Beatrice Emily Pearce, 22, Housemaid        

1939 Register
The data from the 1939 Register is available in part.  Many entries are “Closed”, that is, where no information has been officially received that the person concerned has died, thus conforming to the normal 100-year rule.  The entries are revised every few years, and the results below are those deemed publishable in 2019.  Occupations, or voluntary positions relevant to war work, are especially noteworthy, as are maiden names.  The dates given are years of birth.  Of particular note is the description given to P. N. G. Whitlam as “Resident schoolmaster” – which he wasn’t, despite headmaster A. H. B. Bishop describing him as “virtually a schoolmaster”.  Even more remarkable is the occupation given to the headmaster’s wife – “Unpaid domestic duties”!

Bridge House
Janet P. Godfrey-Payton,1859, Private means
Janet Godfrey-Payton, 1901, Unpaid domestic duties.  Voluntary worker. 1^st Aid.
Irene Rowe, 1903, Cook
Alice Streater née Dunkley, 1911, Housemaid

Warwick School
[Six entries are “Closed”]
Tom Collins, 1917, Pastry cook
Muriel Harvey née McMain, 1922, Domestic
Thomas Hughes, 1924, House boy
Elizabeth Hartley née Nicholls, 1920, Domestic
Constance M. Evans, 1908, Teacher
Catherine Boyd née Dixon, 1922, Domestic
Hilda M. Cole née Campion, 1903, Matron
Hilda V. Rigby, 1900, Cook
Vera R. Pedrick, 1888, Sewing help
Eileen N. Kent,  1909, Assistant matron
[19 more entries are “Closed”]
Colin W. Reeve - 1908 - Resident schoolmaster
Robert N. Mitchell - 1914 - Resident schoolmaster
Philip N. G. Whitlam - 1899 - Resident schoolmaster. Warwick School OTC.  Officer’s Reserve Class.
Roderick Childs - 1903 -  Resident schoolmaster
Joseline Holoway née Schon - 1908 - Domestic work
Rosalind M. Bishop - 1935 - Under school age
[One Bishop family entry “Closed”]
Andrew A. Bishop - 1932 - At school
Olive A. Bishop - 1902 -  Unpaid domestic duties
Arthur H. B. Bishop - 1898 - Resident headmaster.  ARP (First Aid Dept)

Sanatorium Cottage
Charles J. Talbot - 1900 - School porter
Elizabeth M. Talbot - 1913 - In charge of school tuck shop

Junior House
John F. C. Dicker - 1907 - Head of Junior School and Boarding House.  Senior History master.  Lay reader.  MA Cantab.  Special Constable No. 473 Solihull Div Warks.
Maud McKenzie - 1891 - Matron
Douglas N. Parkinson - 1915 - Asst master. BSc.  BA Oxford
Felix E. Dugdale - 1911 - Asst master. BA Cantab

G. N. Frykman (Warwick School Archivist)
September 2019.