Samuel Wilderspin became a household name in his own lifetime. Befriended by Dickens, lampooned by Cruikshank, his achievements discussed in Parliament, he was one of the best known educators of the 1830s and 1840s. However, Wilderspin's consistent opposition to denominational education combined with his liberal and advanced views made him unpopular with the Establishment. Samuel Wilderspin's fame declined after his retirement in 1847 but his reputation as an infant school educator has survived. Many of his ideas and practices have had a great influence on infant education. In this book, first published in 1982, Wilderspin's own story is placed in the context of this growing movement led by Owen, Buchanan and Oberlin, and it goes a long way towards reinstating him as one of the prominent figures in the early education movement. This title will be of interest to students of history and education.

Samuel Wilderspin became a household name in his own lifetime. Befriended by Dickens, lampooned by Cruikshank, his achievements discussed in Parliament, he was one of the best known educators of the 1830s and 1840s. However, Wilderspin's consistent opposition to denominational education combined with his liberal and advanced views made him unpopular with the Establishment. Samuel Wilderspin's fame declined after his retirement in 1847 but his reputation as an infant school educator has survived. Many of his ideas and practices have had a great influence on infant education. In this book, first published in 1982, Wilderspin's own story is placed in the context of this growing movement led by Owen, Buchanan and Oberlin, and it goes a long way towards reinstating him as one of the prominent figures in the early education movement. This title will be of interest to students of history and education.

The first half of the nineteenth century brought two major revolutions, the British Industrial Revolution and the French political revolution, which devastatingly heralded the modern world. In Newfoundland, an important strategic outpost island within the powerful British Empire, the period brought the start of religious, educational, and class identifications and divisions, particularly in the capital, St Johns. It also marked the beginning of the growth of a popular culture: citizens of St Johns enjoyed amateur and professional theatre, on par with that in London, as well as horse-racing, the Regatta, circuses, concerts, and exhibitions of art and natural history, opening the eyes of residents to worlds they would never have experienced. Overall, argues historian Phillip McCann, the years 1800 to 1855 can be seen as a crucible in which Newfoundland society and identity was born.