Miss Violet Seabrook

Memories of Miss Violet Seabrook – Former Headteacher at Cattistock VC Primary School

In early November, the Cattistock Community website team received contact from Debbie Sutton, who lives in Leicestershire, who was trying to track down any information about her Great Aunt, Miss Violet Seabrook.

Violet, who was the headmistress of the Cattistock school in the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s and early 50’s, died in 1980. She was the sister of Debbie’s Grandmother, May Seabrook, whose married name was May Bowyer who lived in Staines. There was also another sister Lillian, who lived on a farm near Cromer. Their father was the Head Gardener at Ramsey Abbey, Cambridgeshire.

Debbie mentions that after May died all knowledge of Violet appeared to die with her. So, now aged 75, Debbie is keen to gain local help from the Cattistock community in piecing together any information, photos, or stories about Violet.

The first initiative was to invite Debbie to become a temporary member of the Cattistock Village WhatsApp group, for her to be able to post her request and then receive and discuss any subsequent responses first hand. Debbie’s request was also posted on the Cattistock website.

This request prompted several responses, not all favourable. Those recollections really highlighting how different those times were! It also resulted in a couple of long term Cattistock residents, Buddy Langford and Nigel Collins meeting up with Debbie at the Fox & Hounds just before Christmas.

Buddy, and his wife Heather, brought along the old school bell, which had been rescued by another old pupil Norman (Wink) Gibbs and a copy of “Cattistock, A Dorset Village”; the book that was written by Buddy’s mother, Marie Langford. The latter gives an accurate insight into schooling in the village in the past.

Marie had started school at the age of just 3½ in 1920 and recalls when Miss Seabrook arrived as Headmistress on 4^thMay 1925, relacing Mrs Browne. She recollects that, “Miss Seabrook was a strict disciplinarian and after her arrival the work of the school improved. We all benefitted from her teaching, even if we suffered headaches and other aches and pains when school-time came round.”  

Buddy remembers that his late mother still met Miss Seabrook with some trepidation many years after she had left school. Violet was certainly not frightened of telling you if she disapproved of any of your actions even if you were well into your fifties, as happened to Nigel Collins’s dad after the felling of one of her favourite trees!

Nigel’s recollections are somewhat different, as she became a neighbour having moved into ‘Netley Walls’ on her retirement in 1956, with Spot, her Jack Russel terrier. His earliest memory of her was being first on the scene when he sustained an accident in 1958, even though he was only 3 years old. He vividly remembers her using wet towels to cool his feet. Without her prompt actions the injuries would have undoubtedly been much more serious, and as result, Odstock Hospital, Salisbury, were able to carry out effective surgery.

On retirement Miss Seabrook became a close friend of Nigel’s Grandmother, Ethel, another ex-pupil of Cattistock School, albeit of an earlier era under the equally strict Mrs Browne. Violet would often drop in on Ethel in her office, often to discuss ‘goings on’ in the village, and what should be done about it! They would also regularly join each other in the evenings for a game of scrabble. These were highly competitive occasions, and Nigel always found it amusing how this strict Victorian School Marm and her friend, the staunch Primitive Methodist (who would later admonish him on the ‘Evils of Drink’ when he ventured into the Fox & Hounds), would partake in either Cherry or Apricot brandy to “sustain their intellect”!

No doubt it was at one these sessions when they agreed that the only way “that boy” could benefit from a grammar school education, rather than “idling his time in the bus garage at every opportunity,” would be for Miss Seabrook to instil a good grounding in Maths and English. That resulted in extra-curricular lessons during every school holidays. No special favours though. If your feet touched the rung of her dining room chair, or if your attention waned, this was swiftly followed by a reprimand and a sharp wrap across the knuckles with a ruler. Nigel would endeavour to miss these sessions by creeping down by a privet hedge en route to the bus garage; only to be summoned by a high pitched “Niiiiigoool” as he reached the gate.

This was an era when the local headteacher, or former headteacher, was a respected member of the community. Notwithstanding our greater appreciation of child psychology and the possible implications of what was then the norm for punishment, there is, perhaps, a case for enabling some of that respect in these changing times?

Perhaps Miss Seabrook’s legacy is best summed up by another former pupil, Jean Hanger (née Barrett). “Miss Seabrook was a very strict teacher. If a boy sang out of tune, he would be hit on the head with a hymn book. Different times! Thank you, Miss Seabrook, for teaching us punctuation. We all learnt when to use a semi-colon, a colon, etc.. We also learnt how and when to use apostrophes.  When I left my post as a school secretary, a colleague wrote, “I will miss you, but go and take your apostrophes with you!” A dedicated teacher who saw many of us into grammar school.”

Debbie would welcome further feedback from any ex-pupils or those that knew Miss Seabrook. If you have any information, stories, or photos of Debbie’s great aunt Violet, do please provide your contact details via the website’s ‘Contact Us’ page, and we will forward them to Debbie, for her to make contact with you.

(The above images show two views of the old Cattistock school, at different times)