A Ckntury's Changes. 55 



hours informing her it was the Lord's day. The Session ordered 

 their Officer to cite them to their next meeting." 



Tt is a remarkable fact that at the beginning of this century 

 a schoolhouse had never been built in Hutton parish. The 

 children received what education they got, which appears to have 

 been but little, in tiie church. But that building was in so 

 ruinous a condition that the parishioners complained of its 

 unhealthiness to the heritors, who set about remedying this 

 condition of things. In the year 1796 there is the following 

 entry in their minute book : — " It being complained by the 

 inhabitants of the parish that the church, where the school is 

 presently taught, is cold for the children and dangerous for their 

 health, the meeting agree that a house shall be rented for one 

 year at a rent not exceeding 15s ; and it being informed that the 

 house of David Mundal near this place (Nether Boreland) is now 

 to let the meeting authorise the said John Halliday to agree for 

 and take the same, and to proportion the rent in the same 

 manner with the sallary and collect it from the heritors." 



It was not till two years after this that they took thought of 

 putting up a regular schoolhouse. " Finding that no schoolhouse 

 has ever been built at Hutton the meeting agree," it is said, 

 " that one will be built and estimates got in so that the work 

 may be got executed in spring. Meantime the meeting agree to 

 put a temporary window in Mundal's house and make it water- 

 tight." This new schoolhouse was to be 45 feet long, 15 feet wide, 

 and was to include some accommodation for the teacher ; tlie 

 "timber was to be of oak or foreign," and it was "to be covered 

 with flags from Corncockle." But unhappily for progress in 

 educational matters when the estimates, £130 in full, came in 

 and were considered next July, it was found to be " con.siderably 

 above what was proposed to be done," so that the plan was 

 altered, and the tradesmen directed to estimate anew. I can 

 find no trace of this new plan, nor of the cost of it ; but that it 

 was executed is proved by the fact that in June next year the 

 heritors inspected the new schoolhouse, and ordered " the master's 

 apartment to be lathed and plastered." The teacher's salary at 

 this period was £8 6s 8d, increased from £5 a few years before, and 

 he was appointed yearly, and removable at tiie will of the 

 heritors. Corrie was better off", having been endowed in 1727 

 with £280 for educational purposes, and having been twice 

 endowed since. 



