Logbooks give fascinating insight into a time when Embo school was 'bursting at the seams' with pupils
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From the Archives
The Highland Archive Centre holds a number of historical records relating to Embo Primary School.
The school and schoolhouse were built in 1856-60 by William Fowler, who also built the Culag Hotel at Lochinver and Hope Lodge at Eriboll.
One of the most prominent buildings in the village, its frontage overlooks the sea. An extension was added in 1896, designed by well-respected Tain architects Andrew Maitland and sons.
The school’s heyday was at the turn of the 19th century when it was bursting at the seams with pupils.
A census undertaken in 1901 shows that there were 101 children in the village aged between five and 12 years and another 82 aged four and under.
The building was still operating as a school in 1982 but closed shortly afterwards. Highland Council transferred the property to Embo Trust and it has since been renovated and repurposed as a community facility.
Logbooks and admission registers give a fascinating insight into daily life at the once bustling school, as well as listing the names of pupils and teachers.
Following the 1872 Education (Scotland) Act, head teachers were obliged to keep an admission register and these give a snapshot into daily life at the school.
An excerpt from from the logbook of December 1904 states: “Examined classes from III upwards with pretty fair results except in case of highest class, which maintains its reputation for the weakest in school.”
Also in one logbook is a list recording the names and dates of staff employed. This doesn’t appear as standard in other logbooks, so appears to be a quirk.
It records the teachers' names, the date they started working at Embo school, the date of birth and the date they left the school.
So, we learn that on August 26, 2012, a teacher called Anne Stewart Mackenzie started teaching at Embo. She was aged 23 and stayed at the school for three years, leaving on July 2, 1915.
Another page in the logbook shows the size of the different rooms. Following on from recommendations in the board minutes, a new room was added.
Records outwith the education system can also be used to learn more about Embo School. The 1906 Ordnance Survey map shows where the schoolhouse was located and gives an idea of its size.
And, of course, census records are also a useful tool to find out pupils’ names.
