Author Margaret Dowland
William was born in Bacton in 1848, the son of schoolteachers George and Elizabeth nee Elliott who taught at the National School at East Ruston. His parents later became the managers of the Smallburgh workhouse. William married Louisa Brummage in 1870.
They moved to Taplow in Buckinghamshire where William was a schoolmaster. Their eldest child George was born there. By 1873 the family had moved to Worstead where he was Headmaster of the National School. It was here that their next four children were born. The following six children were all born in Antingham making a total of 11, all of whom survived to adulthood. After 35 years as headmaster he and his wife retired to Smallburgh; he died in 1924. Louisa Brummage was born in Banham in 1846. Mrs Amies assisted in the school teaching needlework or supervising classes when staff could not be recruited or were absent. There are entries concerning her work in the school. She is never mentioned on any of the inspectorate reports and there is nothing to suggest that she is qualified in any way, or that she was paid for the work she did.
George
Their eldest son George was born in 1871. On the 2nd April 1886 George began as a monitor in the boys’ school assisting with the first class. He became firs ta pupil teacher, then qualified under article 50, but not under article 52. In 1890 he left to go to Maidenhead where he had been appointed as assistant Master at St Luke’s School. He served in the Boer war and then emigrated to Australia where he died.
Louisa
The oldest daughter Louisa was born 19th July1872 in Worstead. On March 19th, 1886, Louisa left the school at the age of 13. The 1891 census has her listed as pupil teacher but living in the schoolhouse, however there is no account of her working as a pupil teacher at Antingham and Southrepps, the assumption is that she was working at another local school. She went on to work as a Board school teacher in Surrey.
Jessie
Jessie was born in Worstead 15th January 1874. On the 19th March 1886 she replaces her sister Louisa as monitress. By 1889 Jessie was teaching in the Mixed school. She left the school in 1897. She married Charles Wigg who was also a schoolteacher. It is not recorded if she continued to teach. Died 1951
Edith
Edith was born on the 6th December 1875. In 1911 she was 35, living with her parents in the schoolhouse and with no occupation shown. She died a spinster in 1950.
Ruth
Ruth was the last of the children to be born in Worstead 2nd July 1877. She married Francis Shepperd a master tailor. Died 1963
Mary
Marywas the first of the children to be born in Antingham 22nd January 1879. Like her sisters Ruth and Edith she does not appear to have shown any interest in teaching. She married a school master, William Coad who later took holy orders. She died in 1949.
Katie
Katie was born 1881. In 1896 she was a pupil teacher in the Mixed school. She left the following year having secured an assistant mistress post in Oxford. Five years later she married Alexander Wyness who was also a school master. Died 1933
William
Williamwas born in Antingham 23rd May 1882. He takes a completely different route in life from the rest of the family. In 1901 he was working in Thorpe St Matthew Norwich as an electrical engineer, and by the time of the 1911 census he had moved to Sheffield. In 1913 he married Ester Elizabeth Unwin in Sheffield. William founded the Bakelite firm in Sheffield in 1929. (Obituary: Sheffield Telegraph, for Amies W.E, founder of Bakelite Firm. Date of death 17 February 1958).
Margaret
Margaret wasborn 16th October 1884. The school log records her as a monitress. By 1902 she is a first-year pupil teacher. She moves to Surrey to work as a teacher. Then marries Frederick Morgan in 1915in Essex.
Alice
Alice was born 17th January 1887. In 1911 she is 24 and living with her parents in the schoolhouse and no occupation is shown. It is possible that she moved to Smallburgh with her parents as in 1922. She married a grocer Alfred George Ribbands at Smallburgh. She died in Hemsby in 1959.
Elsie
The last of 11 children Elsie was born in Antingham in 1890. She was a pupil teacher at the school. In 1911 she was a Council school teacher living with her parents in the schoolhouse. She married William Tomkinson in 1914 he was also a teacher. She died in Hampshire in 1954.