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At Bordley House about 1911 (named)

At Bordley Hall about 1921 (named)

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The History of Education in Malhamdale

Lee Gate & Bordley Schools (c.1891-1928)

Malham Moor township is very large, mainly centred around Malham Tarn but on the Eastern side there is an elongated narrow section which includes Lee Gate and New House Farm, which adjoin Bordley Parish. Lee Gate is 3 miles from Kirkby Malham United School, 4 miles from Malham Tarn School, and about 5 miles from Threshfield and Cracoe Schools.

Some of the Carr children from Park House had been attending Kirkby Malham United School since April 1885, but it is recorded in the Log Book that the children were absent for many weeks in Winter.

“Nov. 4th 1886. Mr Carr, Park House, Bordley, wrote requesting his children to be loosened from school at 3.30 each day owing to the long distance and it being dark before they arrived home – if not granted he would be obliged to keep them at home during the Winter.”

When attending Kirkby Malham the older Carr children travelled each day, taking turns to ride a pony. The younger children stayed in Malham monday to friday, with Maggie Hurtley at Cherry Tree Cottage .

The Log Book of Kirkby Malham United School 1891 records:-

“Oct. 30th 1891. I hear that a school is about to be commenced at Bordley Moor, consequently we shall lose 4 children.”
“Nov. 3rd 1891. Removed the names Ethel, Jane and Frank Carr from the register, John Carr has returned to school.”

The school was fee paying and held in the front room of Lee Gate, the teacher being Miss Bridges who lived with the Nelson family at Lee Gate. The children used the front door for access, and used a small door alongside the staircase to get coal for the fire, so as not to disturb the family. One of the Nelson family wrote an article for Rylstone Parish Magazine about the school at Lee Gate together with a photograph.

The children attending at the beginning were :-

Jane Nelson (born 1883)	Lee Gate
John Nelson (born 1884)	Lee Gate
Annie Nelson (born 1886)	Lee Gate
Ethel Mary Carr (born 1880)	Park House
Bessie Carr (born 1881)	Park House
Frank Carr (born 1883)	Park House
Jane Duckett Carr (born 1884)	Park House

They were soon joined by the elder children of the Horner family from Bordley House.

At some point the school moved to Bordley House and a photograph of children taken there around 1911 shows the teacher Miss Elsie Simon, a Scotswoman, who lodged at Lainger House.

The children attending in 1911 were :-

Foster Nelson (so John and Nanny Nelson)	Lee Gate
Nanny Nelson (do John and Nanny Nelson)	Lee Gate
Charlie Horner (so Thomas and Jane Horner)	Bordley House
Eleanor Horner (do Thomas and Jane Horner)	Bordley House
Mary Horner (do Thomas and Jane Horner)	Bordley House
William Horner (so Thomas and Jane Horner)	Bordley House
Laura Horner (do Thomas and Jane Horner)	Bordley House
Lily Proctor	Bordley Green
Elsie Proctor	Bordley Green
Maggie Banks	Park House
Mercy Banks	Park House

The Banks family came to live at Park House around 1898 and the Horner family left Bordley House in 1912. At that stage the school moved to Bordley Hall. The Foster family from Beckermonds came to Bordley House and stayed 2 to 3 years. Florence and Winifred Foster only attended school at Bordley Hall.

Another delightful photograph shows the children at Bordley Hall School around 1922 with their teacher, Miss Poacher.
The children are :-

Bordley Hall School closed in 1928, the last teacher being Miss Jane Green who lived at Thorlby, near Skipton, and travelled to Bordley Hall on a motorcycle. When Bordley Hall School closed the children transferred to Gargrave School.

Mrs Raistrick wrote in her book “Village Schools” :-

“Bordley. A school existed here in 1896 at Bordley Town moving later to Bordley Hall. It seems to have been a fee paying school at first, and was then held in one room of a farm house. The County Education Authority reopened it in 1912 and it closed in 1928.”

Whether the school operated continuously from 1891 to 1928, albeit on different sites, or whether it closed and reopened at least once, as Mrs Raistrick implies, is uncertain.