[6] Moreover, instead of the traditional classical studies, the school offered a practical curriculum that stressed science and the modern languages.
[8] A number of distinguished parents enrolled their boys at Palgrave, including the nephew of Lady Jane McCarthy, daughter of Prime Minister John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, King George III's favourite.
[9] Pupils who later distinguished themselves include Lord Chief Justice Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman, scholar and translator William Taylor, settler of early Canada Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, and archaeologist Sir William Gell.
[10] Barbauld had a profound effect on many of her students; Taylor, a preeminent scholar of German literature, referred to her as "the mother of my mind".
Sarah's brother, Philip Meadows (1719–83), a solicitor from nearby Diss provided financial support for the school.