Dame schools were small, privately run schools for young children that emerged in the British Isles and its colonies during the early modern period. These schools were taught by a “school dame,” a local woman who would educate children for a small fee. Dame schools were extremely localized, and could typically be found at the town or parish level. At dame schools, children could be expected to learn reading and arithmetic, and were sometimes also educated in writing. Girls were often instructed in handiwork such as knitting and sewing. Dame schools lasted from the sixteenth century to about the mid-nineteenth century, when compulsory education was introduced in Britain. In many senses, dame schools were the precursors to present-day nursery and primary schools. Britain 17th and 18th century dame schools The origins of dame schools are unknown. They seem to have naturally evolved from a demand for accessible early childhood education and cheap, convenient childcare. In many instances, dame schools were taught in the teacher’s own home. School dames laboured with small groups of children wherever a demand existed and their own qualifications were accepted. Dame schools did not form a network; instead, they were independently run by women in their own local areas. Many of these teachers were either impoverished middle class widows or older unmarried women, or young, unmarried women who needed additional income. A few dame schools were taught by men. School dames often only charged a few shillings in fees. For instance, Dame Seamer of Darlington, Durham was recorded as receiving four shillings a year per pupil. In the mid-17th century, that sum would be roughly four days wages for a skilled tradesman, and a loaf of bread cost approximately nine shillings. This suggests that dame school teachers received very little for their efforts, and would have to teach many students to make a living wage. Dame school pupils were the children of tradesmen and labouring parents, and in many cases, a dame school education was the only form of education these children ever received. The teacher would offer class for several hours per the day. In class, she would teach her pupils reading and writing, often from a hornbook. During this time period, reading and writing were taught separately, and it was more common for both girls and boys to learn to read, and for just boys to learn to write. Even so, during the eighteenth