ARCHIBALD BELL OF ARKINHOME, DUMFRIESHIRE

[Jim McCreadie]

The maternal family of one of my sons-in-law has been traced back to Archibald BELL (b. c 1590) of Arkinhome, near Langholm, Dumfrieshire. Archibald the elder married an Ann (Surname unknown) and they had at least one son, also named Archibald. Archibald the younger was born in 1620 and married Anne PURVIS of Arkinhome, in the Parish of Stablegordon, in 1648.
One of their male descendants, taught at the Goolwa School in South Australia. What follows was located in family papers handed down over many years and is well worth reading:

RULES FOR TEACHERS – 1877

1. Teachers each day will fill lamps and clean chimneys.
2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day session.
3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.
4. Men teachers may take on evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they attend church regularly.
5. After tea hours in school, the teacher may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.
6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.
7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his/her earnings for his/her benefit during his/her declining years so as not to become a burden on society.
8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls or gets shaved in a barber’s shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.
9. The teacher who performs his/her labour faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of two shillings and sixpence per week in his/her pay, providing the Board of Education approves.

Blimey eh?

Jim McCreadie