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1) 1841 Elizabeth Squire’s birth certificate

Miss Squire spelt her first name Elisabeth, with an s but in several official documents we see the commoner spelling with a z and this begins with her birth certificate.

Download: Elizabeth Squire’s birth certificate as pdf

Transcript: Elizabeth daughter of William and Hannah Squire born the 28th day of April 1841 at 6 o’clock in the morning and baptized the 26th of May in the same year.

2) 1855 Annotated confirmation leaflet for Elizabeth Squires (sic)

This printed leaflet was carefully preserved in the family Bible. Evidence of confirmation was a valuable document, proving she was a communicant member of the Church of England. This was a requirement for many teaching posts.

In 1855, when the ceremony took place, she was 14 years old. It is worth noticing that the clerk misspelled both her Christian name and surname.

Download: Annotated confirmation leaflet for Elizabeth Squires (sic) as pdf

Transcript: In remembrance of the 21st day of April 1855 when before God and the Congregation in the Parish Church of Martock Somerset Elizabeth Squires did solemnly and openly at the Rite of Confirmation promise by the Grace of God “to renounce the devil and all his works...

3) School Registers 1858

This is the only surviving register from before Miss Squire’s time.  It is a fragment covering January, part of February and December. The teacher was probably Mrs Wilmot, who is shown as a schoolmistress on the 1851 census and whose son appears as one of the Sunday scholars.    

It shows a thriving day school, organised in three classes and an even bigger Sunday school for older children. Those attending the day school are marked as paying.

Girls outnumber boys in the day school, probably because boys were expected to leave as soon as possible in order to start earning their keep.  

Download: 1858 School Registers as pdf

First Class

Ann Alsop
Anne Hunt
Sarah Whiting
Elizabeth Whiting (crossed out)

Second Class

Ann Pearce (three weeks absence)
Elizabeth Wicks
Martha Whiting
Emily Pearce

Third Class

Emily Bird (continually absent) 
Elizabeth Monk (crossed out)
Elizabeth Whiting 
Amy Bird (added later)

Sunday Girls

Ann Hall
Ann Wicks
Ann Alsop

Day Boys

William Gingell
George Hall
James Leonard
(Illegible) Whiting (absent throughout the register)
George Wicks

Sunday Boys

Nathaniel Wilmot
John Whiting
William Bird

4) 1859 Confirmation of Elisabeth Squire’s baptism

Elisabeth Squire was eighteen when this copy was made and it seems probably that she needed it because she was seeking a teaching post and wanted evidence that she was baptised and a communicant member of the Church of England.

Download: Confirmation of baptism as pdf

Transcript: Baptism solemnized in the Parish of Martock in the County of Somerset in the year 1841, May 26th Elizabeth daughter of William and Hannah Squire Hinton yeomen.

John Lakes Curate. 

This is a true copy as taken from the Register of baptisms for the said parish. 

Witness my hand this the 20th day of October 1859.

Pearson Mason officiating minister.