A pupil's view in the late 18th century was: The only scholastic education I received was at the Town Bank grammar-school, under the Rev.
William Tyson Walker ... an excellent classical scholar, educated at Trinity College, Dublin.
Before this the Town Bank school had fallen into the hands of an old gouty gentleman, of the name of Ferdinand (usually called Fardy by the boys) Hodgson, whose wife kept a sort of stationer's and bookseller's shop.
His knowledge of Latin extended little beyond Syntaxix, As in Praesenti, and Pripria opus maribus &c; any further progress could only be had by a removal to a distance of sixteen miles, to the Free Grammar-school at Hawkshead, founded in 1584.
I pitched upon a small History of the Bible, with wood-cuts, which so pleased the old man, that he foretold to my parents that I should prove a treasure to them.From 1879 to 1882 the master was Arthur Richard Shilleto.