Some more references from the school history. It looks as of Faith Appleyard followed in her mother's footsteps and also became a Dame at the school.
Sir Henry Nelthorpe was listed amongst the reorganised Trustees in 1801 because of his landholdings in Bradley. The population of Laceby was then 368. He immediately made his presence felt. In the years since 1780 the financial position had totally changed. Large amounts of money had been spent on the buildings and extra taxes
This was the year after the new room with its balcony was built, with a door for boarders entering from the house and a west door for day pupils. The Rev. Grey resigned in 1802. The Trust, under the new chairmanship of Nelthorpe, advertised on 16 July 1802 for a new Master, stipulating that they did not want a candidate in Holy Orders. This must have been a very unusual step to take. A Robert Forster of Lincoln was appointed. The decline of money was noted by Nelthorpe in 1803, when there was a deficit of 6s 6d on school accounts. Just one item, Window Tax, can be taken as an illustration: in 1790, the tax was £1 10s 11d, but in 1803 it was £4 15s 0d and there had been only one additional room in that time. His action was drastic. The tenant was dismissed, the land revalued and a new tenant was taken in 1804 at a new rent of £65 per annum but there was no indication of improvement in the teaching staff’s lot. Faith Appleyard, the Dame, was still being paid £4 per annum.
In 1812, the balance shown in the Accounts book was £267 1s 3d. Obviously, under this chairman, only the minimum amount of money was spent.
Interest in the Stanford Trust declined during this decade. The balance at hand for 1817 was £84 10s 0d though by 1818 this had risen to £151 19s 5d. Trustees who died were difficult to replace so William Brookes, a farmer in Laceby, began to take control. He appointed William Bruster as Master in 1821. Just prior to this, there had been a discussion about the salary paid to the Dame. Faith Appleyard was paid £4 per annum as was Mrs. Anderson after her - until she resigned over this issue in 1819. Mary Robinson agreed to take the post if the salary was raised to £6. The Trust minutes of the time read:
“It was particularly urged and stated to her that she was not elected Schoolmistress under the Trust but was merely hired as a servant for the year”.
Mrs. Anderson offered to return now that the salary had been raised so both women now worked at the school. Mrs. Anderson finally resigned the next year, so Mary Robinson stayed on as schoolmistress making a team with William Bruster until 1842. During that time her salary rose to £10 per annum in 1837, including coal as before. Bruster’s terms were much more generous: £30 per annum plus a house and garden free of rent, taxes or surcharges and coal. Also written in the Accounts:
“A close containing 8 acres in Lopham Lane subject to tithes, Taxes, charges and repairs, Bond to the Trustees of penalty of £200 for discharging the duties of schoolmaster and managing the land”.
This was all settled amicably in Laceby Square at various visits to the Waterloo Inn. The Dame’s salary had risen by one half since 1730 and the Master’s salary was two and a half times larger. This new start was made possible, in part, by the sizeable balance achieved by Sir Henry Nelthorpe. The decline in interest in the trust had been highlighted by the departure of John Carrit, a Trustee, in 1820 for a new life in Canada and the United States of America. No wonder Brookes had felt that a new teaching team was needed to infuse some vitality into the cause.
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