Grant Aid Applications 1832-89 (ED/1)...
Each school applied to the Board of Commissioners of Education for a grant in aid of its running costs.
The printed forms that they completed have been preserved in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, in the ED1 series which contains over 4,500 grant aid applications.
The principal details recorded in this source include the date of establishment (including a note of the date of establishment if it had been in operation before applying to become a national school), name of teacher, size and condition of building, number of enrolled pupils and average number in attendance.
The great majority of teachers appointed were male but, as the schools attracted more pupils, more female assistants were appointed to teach needlework, sewing and cutting out.
The Grant Aid Applications are, therefore, a useful source for an investigation of ‘women at work’ in the 19th century.
Grant aid application forms (ED1 in PRONI):
| School | Date | PRONI ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Hook’s Court, High Street | 1840-46 | ED1/15/139 |
| Kilmorey Steet Male | 1840-46 | ED1/15/159 |
| Kilmorey Street Female | 1840-46 | ED1/15/164 |
| Newry | 1846-60 | ED1/16/74 |
| Newry Convent | 1846-60 | ED1/16/117 |
| Newry Mill Street | 1846-60 | ED1/16/137 |
| Mill Street, Newry | 1858-65 | ED1/17/81 |
| William Street | 1858-65 | ED1/17/188 & 217 |
| Windsor Hill Union | 1846-60 | ED1/16/113 |
| Windsor Hill Male | 1846-60 | ED1/18/185 |
| Windsor Hill Female | 1846-60 | ED1/18/80(2) |
