rhood, attending on Saturdays; while 42 received
special instruction from a qualified teacher in dressmaking. Operations
were also, in the same year, extended to rural parishes, a meeting being
held at Woodhall Spa, on Feb. 10, presided over by the Rev. T. Livesey,
County Councillor, when a district embracing 20 parishes was formed; Mr.
Livesey being _ex officio_ Chairman of Committees, Canon J. Clare Hudson,
Vicar of Thornton, appointed as acting Chairman, and the Rev. J. Conway
Walter, Rector of Langton, Hon. Secretary.

This was followed by other meetings at Horncastle, at which, in due
course, plans were matured for both town and country classes in various
subjects. On the death of Mr. T. Livesey, in 1894, Mr. Robert Searby, of
Edlington, succeeded him as County Councillor, and took a great interest
in the school; the late Mr. W. Brown, of the Capital and Counties Bank,
was elected Chairman, and for several years he rendered most valuable
service to the schools, being followed, on his decease in 1901, by Mr. R.
W. Clitherow, Solicitor, who had previously acted as Treasurer. So far
the whole scheme had been attended by the most marked success in all
departments.

In the year 1894 the numbers of pupils, and of the subjects taught, had
further increased; and it became necessary again to move into more
commodious premises. The large building in Queen Street, which had been
erected by the late Mr. F. Stevens, of Gordon Villa, and was then
occupied by Miss Morris, as a school for young ladies, was rented, having
two large classrooms and a smaller one.

Among the teachers who followed was Miss Annie Foster, who succeeded Mr.
Switzer in July, 1895, and continued as head of the Institution for
nearly six years. She was a most enthusiastic and energetic worker, and
under her the schools attained the highest point of success, both as
regards the number of pupils attending and the variety of subjects
taught. The school at this time had attained to the highest degree of
efficiency which it is ever likely to reach. Not only had Horncastle
pupils taken more prizes than those of any other technical school in the
Parts of Lindsey, but on the visit of the Government Inspector, Mr.
Minton, at the prize-giving in September, 1896, he stated that the school
occupied the third place in all England. {114b}

In the year 1899 again the Inspector, on his examination in October,
reported its state as being "very satisfactory," and in