Burial on Feb 2nd 1955 of Elizabeth Mason, aged 89 years.
The death of Mrs Mason means the passing of a familiar and much loved figure, who held a unique place in our village. Mr Binyon has kindly contributed the following tribute to her great work for Badsey School. As I said at the Memorial Service, behind this work was her profound Christian faith. She loved our Church and it was a grief to her when failing health made it impossible for her to attend its services, but it was in her thoughts to the last. She was also a most regular member of the Mothers’ Union and the members will miss her greatly. We are glad to think that she was spared a long illness; after a very full life she passed very peacefully to her rest. We shall always give thanks to God for her life an example. WBC.
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There can be few among the older inhabitants of our three parishes who do not have kindly thought of Elizabeth Mason who died on January 30th at the advanced age of 89, for they owed much to her kindly influence during their early days at school. She was always regarded with respect and affection.
She was appointed head mistress of the National School at Badsey nearly 70 years ago. It must have been a post of great difficulty as the Old School was in bad condition and the furniture required renewing. Being a Church School it was largely dependent on voluntary subscriptions and it was very difficult to raise sufficient funds. That Miss Wagstaff (as she then was) was very anxious to keep down expenses, is shown by the letter she wrote to the managers, offering to take over Standard I in addition to the Seniors. Otherwise the Education Department would have insisted on another Certificated Mistress for the Infants. But, she said, if she did this, she would require additional assistance. So the Managers appointed a Monitress at a salary of two shillings a week during term time only. One could not expect much help from such an appointment. The work must have been very discouraging. In September 1888 she married Mr John Mason and resigned.
That she had a love of teaching is shown by the fact that she took the post of Infant Mistress when the new school was opened in 1895. She occupied this post until she retired in 1922. But she still took a real interest in the school and whenever possible attended the annual prize-giving.
She always took a motherly interest in her scholars and it was delightful to see the way she looked after them, seeing that they were well wrapped up in cold weather before leaving and attending to their comfort in every way. In the Log Book, HM Inspector used the words “kindly control” which exactly described her method. Another entry says, “Mrs Mason is to be congratulated upon her successful efforts to give simple explanations of the Lord’s Prayer and other parts of the lessons prepared for her little scholars who answered readily.”
She was presented with an armchair when she retired finally in 1922. It is pleasant to know that she lived to enjoy over thirty years of retirement, to celebrate her Diamond Wedding and to see her eldest son Mayor of Evesham. CAB.
Published in the March 1955 Parish Magazine.