Llanteg Toll Gate School

From 'Llanteg Down The Years'.

In 1846 there is a Report of an Assistant Inspector in which he states:“there is no gratuitous education of any kind on week days in the parish. Many parents send their children to the schools of Tavernspite and Amroth. Generally speaking the people are remarkable for their good character. The wealthier class of farmers only are well educated, the smaller farmers are very illiterate and cannot afford to give their
children any education”.

During the middle of the 19th century a school was also held in an old meeting house at Craftie (modern Crofty).Later there was a school for young children kept by the man in charge of the Toll Gate, which used to be in existence at Llanteg Cross.

Toll Gate and School

Toll Gate - not shown on the 1841 census.
Occupied by William Oriel in 1851 - he was the toll collector and schoolmaster and was still there as toll
collector in 1871. The property was unoccupied in 1881.

Situated at Llanteg Cross. 

It was called “Billy the Gate’s school” and it was a building 12ft by 12ft, which served as a dwelling house, toll house and cobbler’s shop, in addition to being the school. The children sat on backless forms, and had no desks; all the modern school equipment was missing and the only playground the children had was the turnpike road. About twenty children attended this school, and each child paid one penny a week, besides providing a spelling book, slate and pencil.The Public Elementary School was erected in 1876 with the help 

of a £30 grant from central Church funds, and was to accommodate 50 children. It opened on 13th February 1877 with 15 pupils.

In its first years a few children were registered at only three years of age but this declined after around 1910 when most pupils would be five years old.