Does anyone know anything about adults learning to read and write in the second half of the 19th century?
I have noticed in the past that prior to the Elementary Education Act of 1870, many of my Colne ancestors could at least sign their names, whereas those from Trawden could not.
Today I have noticed that my great grandfather Henry Pickles (aged 22) and his wife Ann nee Blackburn (aged 19), both of Trawden, each made a mark when they married in 1857. However, in 1911, Henry, a retired farmer then living in Colne, filled in the census form and signed his name.
I understand he was a keen chapel-goer - perhaps he learned to read and write there? Or perhaps his children taught him?
Ruth
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