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Family Magazines at Croft |
 In the darker winter days Charles began to write and produce little family magazines containing poems, stories and useful sketches. The first was called 'Useful and Instructive Poetry', which gave early indication of the style of nonsense verse he was later to develop. In one poem 'Rules and Regulations', Charles mentions 'stammering' several times and this is significant because six of the Dodgson children suffered from this speech impediment and Lewis Carroll continued to stammer throughout his adult life. Other magazines produced at Croft were The Rectory Magazine, The Comet and The Rectory Umbrella, all of which show remarkable talent and painstaking endeavour for one so young. One of his little books has a drawing of a very long dog's tail, very likely the forerunner of the Mouse's tail in 'Alice'. About this time whilst visiting the Deanery at Ripon with his parents, a remarkable character analysis of Charles was made by a Miss Anderson, a guest of the Dean. From a sample of the boy's handwriting she recorded: 'Very clever head; a great deal of number, would make a good actor, diffident, rather shy in general society, comes out in the home circle, rather obstinate, a great deal of concentration, fond of deep reading, imaginative, fond of poetry, may compose.' Knowing Carroll's subsequent life pattern it would seem that Miss Anderson was accurate in her impressions! |
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At the age of 12 Charles went to Richmond Grammar school. It was his first parting from his beloved family but the thought that it was but a few miles away consoled him and that holidays would soon come round when he would be back home in Croft. The Headmaster of the school at this time was Mr Tate, son of the renowned Dr Tate who had made Richmond School so famous. Charles had already shown an early aptitude for Maths and had been using logarithms from a very early age. Now he proved no less a pupil at the Classics. At Richmond Charles also received a thorough training for the scholastic life he was to follow. He became tougher physically; indeed it was not long after his arrival at the school that he acquired some fame as a champion of the weak and the small. He was remembered long after he left this school as a boy who knew how to use his fists in a good cause.  Here are some extracts from Mr Tate's first report on Charles' progress: " I do not hesitate to express my opinion that your son possesses, along with other and excellent natural endowments, a very uncommon share of genius. Gentle and cheerful in his intercourse with others, playful and ready in conversation, he is capable of acquirements and knowledge far beyond his years…………"
Charles stayed at Richmond for only eighteen months. It had, on the whole, been a happy time for him and he learned much that was to stand him in good stead in the years ahead .He left the school at the end of the Christmas term 1845. |
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