Image of the Dame School, Norton Canes, apparently from around 1956. Image from the 1975 Norton Canes Historical Society Journal.

Following the recent donation of an article on the Dame School at Norton Canes from the NCHS Journal by local historian Bill Mayo, I’ve received a really interesting enquiry from reader Keith Whitbrook.

Keith raises several interesting questions, including a really intriguing one regarding a another possible article by the Norton Canes Historical Society.

You can read my original article here, or read a copy of the NCHS piece in PDF format by clicking here. It’s also worth noting that Paul Ford’s wonderful Wyrleyblog has also featured this subject,

Thanks to Keith for a fascinating enquiry, and I’ll say here and now that if hd like to add more, he’d be most welcome too. This is great family history and exactly the kind of thing I love to feature here.

If you can help, please do: either by commenting here or by mailing me – BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com.

Keith Whitbrook wrote:

Hi Bob

I’ve been reading the post re-Dame school. Mr Charlesworth of Cannock was mentioned. I’m wondering if this was my uncle Jack who lived in Bridgetown who also lived in the old school house with his sister, my mother and their parents?

I seem to remember sometime in the 70s someone came to my parents and interviewed them from the Norton Society.

I never saw the report and would be interested in seeing a copy, of the interview and relevant info.

My grandparents on Dad’s side lived in the area too. Dad’s mother was a Slatcher and and he often spoke about them,think most of them were miners.

Dad had siblings buried in Norton church yard that I knew nothing about till a distant relative visited and we spoke of the family he was a Bird who parents lived in Norton by the finger post.

My Grandfather was a miner in the early part of 19th century and took his family to Scotland I would think about 1910/12 to East Wyemes on the Firth of Forth. Here they mined coal under the ‘sea ‘.

Dad was the second child his elder brother did not enjoy the best of health. There were (I think) three other children died while they were there.

Dad told me that he came home from school one day and found his mother in a pool of blood and died from a miscarriage.

They came back to Norton Canes/ Great Wyrley some time later. Grandad Whitbrook was called up for the 1914-18 war, and he was discharged a few weeks later because his discharge papers said unfit due to his bad chest with Doctor writing on the discharge ”Don’t know how this man got passed for active duty’ or words to that effect.

Think that enough for the moment of you would like to hear more let me know.

kind regards
Keith