Country masters ill paid
18th Day of X br 1735.
Reced of Richard Buffington, Junior 18 s per Hatt, 4s 6d by stockings, 17s 6d In money—In all forty Shillings; Being in full for a yeare Scholeing, I say Reced per
me Joh Morse[1009].
| Name | Year | per Q | per year | (Reference) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flower, E. | 1683 | 4/ 6/ or 8/ or | £ 10 | Col. Rec., I, 13. |
| Keith, G. | 1689 | (following) | 50 | Ph., 5-26-1689. |
| 120 | ||||
| Makin | 1697 | 40 | } Ph., 11-28-1697. | |
| Pastorius | 1697 | 40 | ||
| Cadwalader | 1700 | for a half year trial | 20 | Ph., 1-28-1700. |
| Cadwalader | 1702 | 50 | Ph., 1-27-1702. | |
| Every, J. | 1702 | Usher | 30 | Ph., 4-26-1702. |
| Benezet, A. | 1742 | 50 | P. C. S. M., I, 33. | |
| Willian, R. | 1749 | 150 | Ibid., 73. | |
| Wilson, J. | 1750 | Usher | 60 | Ibid., 84. |
| Seaton, A. | 1751 | (allowed) | 20 | Ibid., 90. |
| Wilson, J. | 1753 | 70 | Ibid., 101. | |
| Johnson, Wm. | 1753 | (allowed) | 10 | Ibid., 106. |
| Benezet | 1754 | 80 | Ibid., 117. | |
| King | 1754 | (proposed in a contract) | 40 | Ibid., 122. |
| 50 | ||||
| 60 | ||||
| Thornton, Ann | 1755 | 20 | Ibid., 130. | |
| Johnson, Wm. | 1755 | (assistant) | 40 | Ibid., 131. |
| Thompson, Chas. | 1755 | 150 | Ibid., 133. | |
| Johnson, Wm. | 1756 | (raised 20 to keep him) | 60 | Ibid., 141. |
| Fentham, Jos. | 1756 | 85 | Ibid., 144. | |
| Patterson, M. | 1761 | 70 | Ibid., 235. | |
| Thompson, J. | 1770 | 200 | Ibid., 341. | |
| Proud, Robert | 1759 | 150 | Ibid., 175. | |
| Proud, Robert | 1784 | 250 | Ph., 1-30-1784. | |
| His usher | 80 | Ibid. | ||
| Todd, J. | 1784 | (for entrance 15/ and 20/) | Ibid. | |
| (for poor sent by Board 10/) | Ibid. | |||
| Weaver, I. | 1784 | 30/ | 30 | Ibid. |
| Brown, Wm. | 1784 | (whole days) 30/ | } | Ibid. |
| (half days) 15/ | } | |||
| Lancaster, Sarah | 1784 | { (children) 15/ | } | Ibid. |
| { (sent by board) 10/ | } | |||
| { (sent by board) half | } | |||
| { (sent by board half day) 7/6 | } | |||
| Harry, Mary | (children) 15/ | Ibid. | ||
| Clark, Joseph | (older girls 30/) | Ibid. | ||
| Mrs. Clarke | 15/ | Ibid. | ||
| Marsh, Ann | 20/ | Ibid. | ||
| McDonnell, Mary | 1784 | 15/ | Ibid. | |
| Clift, B. | 1693 | £12 | Darby, 9-20-1693 | |
| Underwood, Elihu | 1773 | (Credit for school keeping) 2/2/0/ | ||
| by 2 raccoon skins 0/4/0/ | ||||
| By netting a pair of stockings 0/2/6/[1010] | ||||
| Meccum, Eliza | 1798 | (Negro School) | 50 | Ph., 2-25-1798 |
| Pickering, Elisha | 1798 | (Negro School) | 150 | Ibid. |
| Benezet, A. | 1794 | (Negro School) | 120 | Ibid. |
| Britt, Daniel | 1793 | (Negro School) | 100 | Ibid., 1-25-1793 |
| Dougherty, Sarah | 1793 | (Negro School) | 50 | Ibid. |
As stated elsewhere in this work, the amounts received by masters and mistresses in the Friends’ school measure about the same as those stated for other private masters in the city at the same time. In the table above, the seeming increase from £50 per year in 1689 to £250 per year paid Robert Proud in 1784, and the slender salaries of the women as compared with those of the men, are worthy of attention.[1011] Though all of the teachers in the Negro School had had long experience, their salaries did not equal that of Classical School teachers; but they did keep pace with those in the English School. The price paid for young children was usually low, about one-half that paid for older ones in the same subjects. Children sent by the board were received at a less charge, or perhaps free of charge if that body had already made arrangement to that effect. The contrast between the salary received by the country masters Clift (Darby) and Underwood (Warrington) is very interesting. Such salaries were doubtless effective in causing unrest and a floating teacher population, against which the yearly meeting frequently remonstrated, and earnestly sought to correct.
Mistresses to be first considered
In the pages following, brief attention will be given to several of the Quaker teachers who have come to the attention of the writer during the course of this study. Many of them have been mentioned in other parts of it, reference to whom is to be found in the index. Though the women were given more scanty attention in the records and seem to have filled a less prominent place in the schools, we may gallantly, yet illogically, give them first attention here. In another light, it may not seem illogical. Women were leaders in the Quaker meetings and were privileged to speak, a favor not granted elsewhere. In the early yearly meeting recommendations they urged good mistresses be chosen as well as good masters.[1012] Women were also recognized by London Grove Monthly Meeting in 1795, when a committee of women Friends were appointed to meet with a like committee of men to consider the question of schools.[1013]
Olive Songhurst