Author Margaret Dowland
The school we all know about is Antingham and Southrepps in Lower Street except it’s not in Lower Street at all. The parish boundary runs down the middle of the road and the school is in Antingham (Except in the 1901 census when the school porch was shown as being in Southrepps). We have however included its history as it is Antingham AND Southrepps School and you can read it here.
We do know that there has been at least one private if not two private schools in Upper Street. We do not know the location or much about them. Information discovered so far suggests that there may have been a private school as early as the 1660s, in what is now Church Farm Cottage in the large purpose, built upstairs room. The dates of the construction of the cottage, its location near to the church, architectural features in the building and the school teachers listed in the church books give credence to this. This would have been a school to educate the children of the wealthier families of the parish not those of the poor. In William Cubitt’s biography, who lived in Southrepps in 1790, says he was educated in the local village school and was friendly with the curate, that possibly adds credence to the possibility of this being a school.
Research done for Penny Clarke in 2004, by Paul Rutledge of the Norfolk historic Buildings group, found The Norfolk Subscription Book (1937) by EH Carter which lists school masters in Southrepps. These were employed by Norwich diocese.
1662 John Webald who taught grammar.
1689 Carolus Gostling grammar and mathematics
1720/1 Osbert Mins reading writing and arithmetic.
In 1800 Edward Farr is recorded as living in Southrepps with profession of schoolmaster, but where he taught is uncertain. This was too early for Antingham and Southrepps School.
Sarah Burborough is listed in Kellys directory in 1869 as a school teacher of the Parish School in Southrepps, but again there is no hint of the location of her school. However we do know she did not teach at Antingham and Southrepps School.