Ackworth School, Yorkshire

The children of many Walker families from the Dacre and Darley Meeting spent part of their education at Friend School, Ackworth. From the beginning, members of the Society of Friends valued education and after raising money set up a number of their own schools in the late 18th and early 19th C. Some Darley Quaker children attended local schools around the age of eight before going on to board at age ten or eleven.

The period away from home was between one and four years (with only a few days at home over Christmas) though two or three years away was more usual. The 19th C. Census Returns showed that many of the Walker families had a Governess. Both the cost of boarding fees and / or a governess along with the expense of educating six or more children showed a strong belief in the long term good of a sound education.

The twenty six Walker children from Darley, listed below attended Ackworth School. A further thirty other children from Netherdale meeting also attended, nineteen were from the Spence families, other names were Adamson, Bake, Dougill and Theaker.

Other Quaker schools attended by the family were Bootham and Mount both in York (boys and girls single sex schools respectively) also Rawdon and Gildersome near Leeds and Friend's Academy in Stramongate, Kendal, Westmorland. Children attending, and details of these schools can be viewed in the next chapter.