In the late 19th century, children were only required to attend school between the ages of five and ten. As both of his sisters are listed as 'scholars' in the 1891 census, we can assume that Henry George was also sent to school ~ if only for the minimum number of years required by law. It seems unlikely that his parents paid for him to attend one of the private schools in Edgware, so it is probable that Henry George attended the National School.

The building on Whitchurch Lane dated to 1855 ~ along with the schoolmaster's house which stood behind it. In 1890 the schoolmaster was Horace Bleaney and there was an average attendance of 110 pupils ~ all boys. The girls had a separate school in the churchyard of St Margaret's, Edgware known as 'Truth Hall', and Miss Hayden was the schoolmistress. The Edgware and Little Stanmore School Board also employed an attendance officer ~ Joseph Hawkins. In later years, James Bray was one of the members of the school board.

Henry George was probably living at Broadfields Farm when he first started school, so the walk to school would have been relatively short ~ about half-a-mile. But when his family moved to Edgwarebury, the walk, at almost two miles, was considerably further.

In the census of 1891, the Muddles are listed as living at Edgwarebury, probably in the farmhouse at Edgwarebury farm with James Bray. Henry George's Aunt, Ellen Bishop who later became Henry Muddle Sr's second wife, is listed as a visitor. There were also two servants ~ Ada Sharrett and Peter Pratt. According to the electoral registers, Henry and Caroline Muddle, along with their two eldest children had moved to Edgwarebury after the death of Henry George's grandmother, Mary Bray.

The census records suggest that there were probably five or six families living at the farms in Edgwarebury. As well as the two farmhouses there were also cottages or tenements for the farm workers that James Bray and others employed. So Henry George may have got to play with the children of the various families living at Edgwarebury ~ as well as his two sisters, Caroline and Ellen. There were certainly many barns and outbuildings for Henry George to explore and it is probable that he played in or around the barn at Bury Farm which still stands today. But Henry George's childhood was, by the standards of today, very short, and he is listed on the 1891 census as a farmer ~ at the age of just eleven.

in 1893, his father's landlord, the publisher I. E. B. Cox, held festivities at his Moat Mount estate to celebrate the wedding of the Duke of York to Princess Mary of Teck. As well as a cricket match and dinner in a marquee there were sports activities, in which Henry George participated, taking second place in a sack race and a 100 yard race.

Even today, the 'buried hamlet' of Edgwarebury seems further from the town of Edgware than it actually is. So, for Henry George ~ after long days working in the fields or during the winter months, the distance between town and farm must have seemed considerable. Besides, once in town there would not have been a great deal to do. Edgware was very small and not noted for diverse entertainments, quite the opposite; it was considered by Londoners to be 'in the Country' ~ a quiet place to escape to at weekends, especially after the railway made it more accessible.

At the National School ~ as in every other school in England, a map on the wall would have shown the extent of Britain's empire, and like the other boys, Henry George would have looked and wondered. But as a teenager ~ living in 'A most sequestered Hamlet', the exotic places on that map must have seemed to belong to another world. There were few distractions, though the the garden party at Moat Mount and a 'Sham Fight' which took place at Stoneyfields in 1890 would have caused quite a stir at the farmhouse. Otherwise, only a visit from Charles Muddle would have disturbed the normal routine of the residents at Edgwarebury.

When Mary Muddle went to Edgware in 1866 after her marriage to James Bray, her younger son, Charles, stayed in London. In 1881 he married Rebecca Drewell ~ giving his occupation as a butcher. His wife's father was a cowman and dairyman and after his death in 1882, Charles appears to have taken over the family business.

Over the next few years Charles made frequent visits to Edgwarebury and took a great interest in hay farming. So much so that he was one of the founders of the Middlesex & Herts Hay Show Society ~ which was formed to encourage the growth of good quality English hay. In 1898, three years after the death of his first wife, Charles married Caroline Penn ~ an event recorded in the local paper:

The years that Charles spent as Landlord at The Plough saw him become one of the pillars of society in Tring. He was involved in numerous local institutions and was mentioned frequently in the columns of the Bucks Herald newspaper. The Plough was often the location for military dinners and other receptions, at which Charles and his wife were hosts. They also benefited from the town's connections with Tring Park ~ one of several Rothschild estates in the area. The Tring Agricutural Show ~ hosted by Lord Rothschild, was a magnet for other aristocrats and local farmers and Charles advertised the Plough in the local paper as having 'good accommodation for horses and traps'. One of Charles' friends ~ and a witness at his marriage, was William Stevens Paine Smith ~ the owner of William Smith & Sons, Butchers, in Aylesbury and himself a society stalwart in the area.

By every account, Charles Muddle had a very affable and energetic personality, so it is highly likely that his visits were eagerly anticipated by the young Henry George. The tales of military dinners , of cricket matches at Tring Park and musical evenings at The Plough, would have been a welcome respite from the everyday talk around the kitchen table at Edgwarebury. More importantly, Charles Muddle had no children and could have taken a more-than-usual interest in his nephew's future. With his extensive knowledge of farming and his connections with the Hay Show Society, he would have been well aware that the business of hay farming was not as secure as it had once been.* At some point, either he or his brother seem to have settled on a career in butchering for Henry George.