Teachers Picnic to Roche Abbey

July 1897

Mexborough and Swinton Times, July 16 1897

Teachers Picnic to Roche Abbey

So delighted were the head teachers of the schools with the financial success of the Children’s Diamond Jubilee Cot scheme that they determined their last meeting to jubilate themselves.

The jubilation assumed the form of a picnic to Roche Abbey on Saturday last. Mr Biggins’ char-a-banc was chartered for the Mexborough contingent, and about 1 o’clock, when a start was made, judging from the pleased expression on every face one might think the management of lads and lasses of all temperaments an easy and pleasant task, for all seemed for the moment to have left the cares and worries of school life behind. It was even said that the slighty allusion to ‘shop’ in the shape or form was to be finable. The Conisborough and Denaby Main teachers formed a still larger party, under similarly pleasant conditions.

A member of the Mexborough party has spoken to us most eulogistically of the Conisborough and sociability of the charabanc, and also of the careful and skilful manipulation of the reins by George Biggins, himself an old scholar, by the way, of one of the teachers present. A halt was made at Braithwell, and a stroll round the pleasantly situated village indulged in. Roche Abbey was reached about 3 o’clock. A special permit to the grounds had been kindly granted by the Earl of Scarborough’s steward on it being explained that the duties of their office precluded the teachers availing themselves of visiting the Abbey on ordinary days, when the Lordship so generously throws the same open to the public.

After engaging themselves according to their different inclinations until early 6 o’clock the rollcall was sounded for tea, and strange(?) to say there was not a solitary defaulter. Some averred that the appetising odour of fried ham and eggs was wafted to them away in the woods. If this were so, it is safe to say the appetites, sharpened by the exhilarating drive, were more potent factors with even the younger school mistresses then – (but we have all been young, and why expose weaknesses of which all have been guilty, even if it were in the longer ago). The mistress of the village school of Stone (Mr O’Neill) hearing of the visit, joined her confreres, and who was heartily welcomed. She appeared to thoroughly enjoy the wanted opportunity of meeting them.