Archive Item of the Month – September 2013
20th September 2013
This week all of our campuses and staff have been extremely busy welcoming our new students to university, and none more so than our fantastic estates staff, caretakers and cleaners, who undertake a vast range of work which has made the smooth running of induction week possible. This month our archive item is a job description for our original estates staff, the Porter and his wife who worked at the male department of Cheltenham Training College, now Francis Close Hall campus, from 1865.
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| UA2/1/2 Cheltenham Training College committee meeting book p.10 1865 |
Below is a transcript of the page:
Memorandum respecting the duties of the Porter and his Wife
Ordinary duties
To attend to the gate bell, to give answers and to attend the Visitors Book, all provisions to be sent round to the Tradesmen’s door, and not to be taken in at the Lodge.
When the gate is locked in the evening, to see that no student goes out without proper leave, and that every student who comes in after the gate is locked, enters his name in the Gate Book. The hours for locking the gate to be fixed by the Rev The Principal. And generally the porter is to attend to such rules and directions as may be made regarding the discipline of the students.
Note. no student to be allowed to sit in the Porter’s lodge on any pretence whatever, nor to keep the gate without permission from the authorities.
Cleaning &c. To sweep and dust masters rooms and class rooms daily, and in the Winter months to light the fires. To sweep gateways & corridors daily. To sweep private yard & flush out closets and urinals daily, and to clean closet seats and floor when necessary. To wash floors of class rooms at Lady day and Michaelmas, and to scrub the floors at midsummer and Christmas. To clean the windows of ground floor of College once a quarter.
Gas. To light and put out the gas at the hours appointed for so doing
Post. To take letters to the post daily
Garden To keep in order the entire grounds connected with the College.
Occasional duties
To carry messages for the Committee and the Rev. The Principal. To be in attendance at all committee meetings, and to prepare the room for such meetings. To render assistance in examination room at Christmas. To carry notes to the tradesmen for the monthly pay day. and to do such other occasional work as may be required but cannot be foreseen.
The Porter and his wife will be expected to discharge their duties to the satisfaction of the Rev. The Principal as well as of the Committee.
The Rev. The Principal may suspend the Porter and his wife in case of gross misconduct of either of them, and the Committee may dismiss them in such a case – & at any time on giving by the Secretary of the Committee two months’ notice to the Porter. The Porter and his wife may leave their situation at any time after two months’ notice to the Secretary or the Rev. Principal. The wages for the joint service of the Porter and his wife to be £50 per annum, house, coals, and gas fee, and 12 pieces of washing weekly.
approved and confirmed