Greenrow Academy - 1

Greenrow Academy was founded in 1780 by John Drape. It stood between Bliterlees and Silloth on the site of what is now Stanwix Holiday Village. John Drape came from the West Cumberland port of Whitehaven, where his father, another John, ran a Mathematical School, publishing two books on the subject during the mid 1700s.

John Drape died in 1795 and was succeeded as headmaster by Joseph Saul, a member of a prominent local Quaker family. He ran the school for almost fifty years during which time it attracted pupils from all parts of the British Isles and some from overseas. It is said that, by 1811, there were 135 boys on the register.

A pupil's sketch of the school's interior
(Carlisle Library collection)

A wide range of subjects were taught, these included: English, Latin, Greek, French and Spanish as well as Drawing, Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, Navigation, Geography, Scripture and Astronomy. The fees were 25 guineas per year.

Joseph Saul died in 1842. His memorial, in Holm Cultram Church, says ‘he imparted to thousands the benefits of a sound education and set before them a constant example of equanimity, integrity and love of truth’.

Joseph Saul from his memorial

Following Joseph Saul’s death, the school was taken over by his son, John. When John died, in 1853, Isaac Drape, a grandson of the founder, became headmaster.

During Isaac Drape’s headship, the boys were taught drawing by Matthew Ellis Nutter (1795-1862), an artist of some note. He came from Carlisle where, for many years, he lectured at the Academy of Art. In later life, he suffered from ill health and had retired to the coast on the advice of his doctor. Many of his paintings can be seen at the Tullie House Galleries in his home town.

Isaac Drape died in December, 1870. On June 9 1871, the Carlisle Journal contained a large advertisement for the academy’s ‘Closing Down Sale’; the entire contents were to be sold by auction on the premises. They included “35 excellent feather beds, 40 wood and iron bedsteads, a number of chemical, astronomical and other scientific apparatus, school desks, maps, globes, kitchen requisites, a pony gig and harness, brass stair rods, a combined washing, wringing and mangling machine, sacks of oats and a quantity of poultry.”

The school building then stood empty for seventeen years. In 1888, it was being used as accommodation for the ‘Carlisle Poor Children’s Holiday’ a venture sponsored by a number of philanthropic citizens of that city. A market garden and nursery were established in the grounds.

On August 31^st 1888, the buildings and land were offered for sale by auction in The Queens Hotel, Silloth. They were purchased for £2,190 by Joseph Wood, the proprietor of Wood’s Bazaar on Silloth sea front who continued to live there until his death in 1932. The house was then converted into cottages and was finally demolished in the 1960s to make way for a car park and the Sunset Inn.

Greenrow Academy - 2

Some of the academy's 'Old Boys'

John Francis Ure

 One famous graduate of the Academy was John Francis Ure (1820-1883). Ure started work, aged 15, in the Glasgow marine engineering works of Robert Napier. He later became chief assistant to Andrew Thompson, a leading civil engineer.

After a spell at Glasgow University, he was appointed resident engineer to the Clyde Navigation and Harbour Corporation in 1852. Six years later, he became chief engineer on the Tyne where he carried out major improvements to the docks. Ure then became a senior partner in the Govan shipbuilders, John Elder and Co, where he oversaw the building of the Fairfield Yard.

Robley Dunglinson

Another pupil who distinguished himself was Robley Dunglinson (1798-1869). He went on to the Royal College of Surgeons, attended lectures in Edinburgh and Paris and obtained his M.D. from Erlangen in 1823. He later became Professor of Medicine at the University of Virginia. 

He was both a friend and attending physician to Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, and had two sons who also became doctors.

Paul Bahnsen Lorck (1790-1841) attended Greenrow Academy between 1806 and 1807. He came from Trondheim in Norway. His family had a long tradition in trade, and built a successful financial empire. His father, Christian Andersen Lorck, donated 1,000 riksdaler to the new Norwegian university in Oslo. At that time, Norway was under Danish rule, and Norwegians wanting to pursue an academic career, mostly went to Copenhagen. A businessman, Christian probably did not nurture academic ambitions for his son. Why he chose to send him to Greenrow is not known. It is possible his family traded with the West Cumbrian port of Whitehaven which had an extensive timber trade with Norway and the Baltic ports at that time. The Drape family ran a ‘mathematical school’ there in the 1770s before moving to Greenrow.

In later life, Paul Lorck worked in his father's business. His descendant, Frederik Goplen, holds a collection of his manuscripts which includes these marvellous examples of school exercise books from his years at Greenrow.

William Taylor (1828-1844) attended Greenrow between 1841 and his untimely death there from consumption at the age of 18. He had spent some years at a school in Germany but returned to Greenrow when his health deteriorated. He was attended by Dr William Saul, surgeon, of Abbeytown – Joseph Saul’s son. William Taylor’s family came from Stranraer and were important people in the town where they were Inn owners, military men, and magistrates. William’s mother had 15 children between 1823 and 1849! (Thanks to Peter Robson for this information).

Michael Coupland (1788 – 1860) came from Kendal. He painted this charming view of the academy during his time as a pupil there.
He left in August, 1816 and Joseph Saul provided him with a testimonial in his own hand. The headmaster said he was “sober, well-disposed man” and that he “conducted himself with great propriety and made very considerable progress in the different branches of his education”.
(Information and pictures from Vicki Harding in New Zealand)

The School Garden

The children at Holme St Cuthbert School, Mawbray  have a tradition of gardening which goes back over 100 years.

The instigator was Mr Andrew Wilson, Headmaster from 1911 to 1931. Within three months of taking up his new post, he had gained approval from the school managers and a grant from the Longcake Charity ‘To establish and maintain a school garden.’

Mr Wilson was obviously very keen.  The entry in the school logbook for 4^th December 1911 lists the gardening tools that arrived that day and noted that they started gardening that afternoon.

In spring 1912, Mr Wilson and the older boys set about creating a fruit plot in the glebe field below the church.  On 2^nd April, they planted 25 apple trees, 5 pear trees, 6 plum trees, gooseberry bushes, blackcurrants, redcurrants, and raspberry canes.

At first only the boys were allowed to garden and the girls had to do sewing with Miss Allen.  By June 1912, the girls were allowed in the garden. The girls tended the flower gardens, while the boys grew vegetables and fruit.  They both learnt the skill of grafting roses and the boys learnt how to graft fruit trees.

The boys were allowed to sell the vegetables they grew. In October 1925 the older boys received 37/6d. (£1.87) for their efforts.

Some of the original tools bought in 1911 are still at school today.

Adapted from ‘Plain People’
Holme St Cuthbert Histor Group, 2004.