In 1971 the school in which I taught went comprehensive. Most Secondary Modern teachers were ex-service men who had missed out on education or had served in the Forces or both. They were excellent teachers but few had degrees. For Grammar and Comprehensive Schools people with degrees were in demand, also for promotion. Fortunately I was told about a course at Brighton Technical College to take a degree course in one year, the L.I.Biol., to be followed by a two year course for the M.I.Biol. The latter was rated as a 2nd Honours degree, worth an extra £300 a year! The school gave me Wednesday afternoons and those lectures were followed by evening lectures and occasional field practicals on Sundays.
In 1972 I did not take the July exam but took it in November. After the Xmas festivities I started on a Project, essential for part two, the M.I.Biol. A neighbour had shown me the article in “The Daily Telegraph”, 29/3/72, in which Dr Hooper had outlined his method of estimating the age of hedgerows. The information had been published in the previous year and was widely accepted. For me, with my DIY education, it seemed an ideal topic to test. Dr Scott, my tutor, loaned me several of her books. “Roman ways in the Weald” by I. D. Margary described ways to find the earliest boundaries and in my ignorance I hoped for Roman hedges! Hurstpierpoint Historical Society members gave an enormous amount of help and encouragement but results later! They also gave me information on old maps and licence dates for the hedges so at East Sussex County Records Office I asked for the photocopies of some of the Danny Estate maps.
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