“Teaching English Grammatically” in Catholic Schools and Female Boarding Schools, 1782–1800

Whereas previous chapters emphasize how schools differed by curriculum emphases, this chapter focuses on the way the English curriculum was something most schools had in common, regardless of emphasis. Specifically, the chapter explores unexpected areas of common ground held by Catholic as well as Protestant schoolmasters and by female boarding school mistresses as well as male schoolmasters. A thorough treatment of female education or Catholic education is beyond the scope of this book; however, this chapter addresses how these schools participated in the broader informal education system by emphasizing the centrality of English.