Sir, -In the Guardian last week there was a letter from Yvonne Henkun asking Who is Miss Pope?'

Margaret Pope was the daughter of Dr Robert Pope. Doctor Pope lived in a large house in Staines High Street, and was a physician to George III and his daughter, Princess Amelia. Margaret was Dr Pope's second daughter and was born around 1800.

In the early 1800s, there were two types of schools. National schools were provided by the Church of England and they had strict criteria as to who could attend. The Popes were Quakers and they believed in the principal of education for all.

As Quakers were excluded from Church of England schools, they often provided money for non-conformist children to attend school.

These schools were known collectively as British schools. Miss Pope was instrumental in providing several British schools in Staines by means of a charity.

The distribution of the money was in the hands of a set of trustees, who could make payments in one or two ways.

Prizes or rewards, not exceeding £1 in any one case, could be awarded to children who had a written certificate, from their school manager, confirming their good conduct, regular attendance and proficiency at school and had attended school for no less than two years.

In addition, children who qualified as above, but attended school for no less than five years, and had received from an Inspector of Schools a certificate of having reached a standard of education as would entitle them to exemption from the legal obligation to attend school, could qualify for an award of payments, at the rate of no more than £5 a year, as the child continued to attend a Public Elementary School, and to satisfy the trustees as to their continued good conduct, regularity in attendance, and proficiency.

The trustees had discretion in the way the money for each child was spent.

It could be spent in any or all of the following ways: to pay for tuition fees, the child's maintenance or benefit or it could be deposited in a savings bank or similar to accumulate for his or her benefit.

The part of the charity money that was used to provide schools for non-conformist children helped to pay for the Margaret Pope School in Thames Street.

The school was built in 1874 by subscriptions aided by a government grant, and the proceeds of property left by Margaret Pope.

The building continued as a school until 1908, when the school buildings and site were sold and the proceeds added to the funds of the Margaret Pope Charity.

In 1908, the charity fund stood at over £3,800 - this money was invested in stocks and it was the dividend from these stocks that supplies money that was paid by the trustees, as prizes or rewards, to the pupils for their achievement at school.- Ralph Parsons, Honorary Curator, Spelthorne Museum, Market Square, Staines.

December 20, 2002 16:00