1639 The Ilsington Schoolroom Collapsed
September 1639: Over the west gate of the churchyard in Ilsington a room had been built. This room was converted to a Schoolhouse, to which place there normally came around 30 boy scholars.
It was ten feet from the ground, sixteen feet in length and twelve feet in height. The east and west side walls were about ten feet in height. The covering was of slate or shingle stone laid on good timber rafters about twelve feet in length.
Tuesday September 17th 1639 was wet and there were only seventeen pupils in school with their schoolmaster.
WHEN THE BUILDING COLLAPSED there was in that schoolroom the schoolmaster Mr. Hans Corbin and those 17 pupils who were named as David Leere Thomas Leere, John Leere, Henry Leere, (These were brothers) Thomas Smerdon ,Thomas Corbin, John Crevose, John Degon, Humphrey Degon, Stephen Tyler, Bartholomew Potter, Thomas Potter, John Michelmore, John Foord, John Stancombe , Hannibal Satturle ' John Leate (or Leafe)
ABSENT THAT DAY were Charles Pomroy, Hoscar Bowden, David Byrd, Richard Smerdon ,Will Surrage, Will Soaper, John Baker , Josias Baker, Edward Leate, John Simonde, Henry Lampseed, John Gurrell
As it the clock came up to eleven o'clock, at which time the scholars go home for their dinner , a woman passed underneath the room and finding the gate to be heavy, let it close with a bang - something she had often done.
Before she had reached a house not six yards away, part of the south stone wall, right up to the timber part of the roof, slid away so that the whole roof collapsed, driving both east and west side walls outwards so that they fell down onto the floor of the schoolroom leaving not one stick or stone of the entire structure remaining in its original position.
The School door, which opened inwardly, was shut when the structure began to fall. Four of the boys fell down into the churchyard with the east side wall and escaped with little hurt. Some though were struck down with timber and stones which fell from over their heads.
As I write this account in this book, they are all in health and so living to praise God for their deliverance.
A timber beam trapped one boy in the middle of the room but when it was lifted, he was able to get up and run away. And which was yet more wonderful was that another sweet child (called Humphrey Degon) fell out with the east side wall into the street where he was totally wedged and buried under the rubble so that no part of his body or clothes appeared.
There he lay for a quarter of an hour or more when he was then happily found and taken up for dead in the judgement of everyone who saw him. But life was not totally gone; the child recovered consciousness, and now is healthy and well and free from any harm.
In this accident, we have a special demonstration of God's Providence and Goodness in delivering them from imminent danger. Twelve had their heads cut and broken so they bled for it to remind them all of the danger they were in. But God, with their guardian angels surrounded them so that not a bone was broken, nor a joint displaced their wounds are all healed and there is not one of them who in any way has had a permanent injury.
I will always give thanks unto the Lord; his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
O praise the Lord with me and let us magnify his name for ever.
He has kept all our bones so that not one of them is broken.
The Lord has delivered the souls of his servants
and they that put their trust in Him shall not be forsaken.
It is the Lord's mercy that we were not consumed.
His compassion did not fail us.