Wilsford House School A boys day and boarding school at 30 Long Street Devizes
David Wilson George Rumsey was born in Rochford Essex in 1863. His father was a Master Gunner in the in Royal Artillery.
In 1871 the family was living in Lostwithiel Cornwall with his father still in the army. By 1881 the family was in HuishEpiscopi near Langport in Somerset. David is a pupil teacher in a local boarding school. His father is listed as a Chelsea pensioner and a Clerk.
David Rumsey married Ella in the summer of 1888 in Pewsey Wiltshire. It appears that they did not have any children.The advertisment below right was placed in the 1889 Kelly's Hampshire directory. It is probable therefore that the school started in September 1888. It is noteworthy that his name is given as as D.G. Wilson Rumsey; was this an attempt to imply a posher middle class hyphenated name?
The school must have been a pleasant one. The house was large and the grounds substantial; they would have have provided pleasant fields for the advertised cricket and the tennis courts.
In 1891 there were 13 boarding boys aged 7 to 15, a young 20 year old assistant teacher and 2 servants.
In 1901 - see the census below - there were 11 boarders aged 9 to 16 years old. Mr. Rumsey had a young resident assistant schoolmaster there, who like himself in 1881, was learning the boarding school teaching and pastoral care life. They had 3 servants. One imagines that they had non-resident teachers to help with the "scriptural, commercial and classical education".
The Wilsford House school (below left, photo courtesy Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre) under Mr Rumsey was certainly
The Wiltshire Council site states that Wilsford House School was formed in 1907 and was linked with a Girls School at number 27 Long Street.
In 1923 David George Wilson Rumsey was living at 37 Stow Hill, Newport in Monmouthshire. He is listed in the 1923 Kelly's Directory. He was 60 years old at this time. There are several Private Schools on Stow Hill Road in Newport. It is not known whether he was teaching in any of them; but he was not the headmaster of any of the listed schools.
English Heritage listing for 30 Long Street Images of England Number: 432097 Grade II* Location: CONSERVATIVE CLUB, 30 LONG STREET (east side) DEVIZES, WILTSHIRE Date listed: 09 April 1954Date of last amendment: 09 April 1954 1042LONG STREET(East Side)No 30(Conservative Club)
1. 1042 LONG STREET (East Side) No 30 (Conservative Club) SU 0061 4/35 9.4.54. II* GV 2. Built in the mid 18th century. It has 2 storeys, an attic and cellars. Built of brick on a projecting plinth with stone capping. Splayed projecting stone quoins. Moulded and modillion cornice.
Brick parapet with moulded stone coping. Hipped mansard old tile roof. 2 dormer windows, glazing altered, with architrave surrounds and small cornices. 5 windows on lst floor with moulded stone cills and projecting surrounds. 4 windows on ground floor with projecting surrounds and small cornices, no glazing bars. 4 cellar grilles.
It has a tall central door of 6 fielded panels in stone surround with small carved stone brackets supporting stone cornice and opposing curved scroll pediment with rosette ornament to scroll ends. Door approached by 3 moulded stone steps. The extension on the right hand has the same design. One window has a keystone and stone cill to upper floors and a 3-centred arch (blocked) on ground floor with wide stone surround, projecting plinth, springers and keystone. Large garden with fine trees. The wing at the back has a stone tile roof. Interior panelling, plasterwork and staircase. Numbers 8 to 30 consecutively form a group. |
The school was founded around 1889 by David WG Rumsey and his new wife Ella. It operated until at least 1904. This house is now the site of the Devizes Conservative Club. Its cricket pitch has been partially converted for a lawn bowling club
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