This page is based on the notes of Robert Hamnett, originally published as an article in the Glossop Advertiser in 1913.

The school was built and endowed by Joseph Hague, a native of Chunal. Extracts from the Indenture:-
"This Indenture made the eleventh day of January, in the nineteenth year of the reign of his Majesty King George the Third over Great Britain and so forth, and in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy nine, between Joseph Hague, of Park Hall, within Hayfield in the Parish of Glossop and County of Derby, Esquire, of the one part, and John Hague of Hayfield, gentleman; Joel Ratcliffe, of Mellor, gentleman; John Harrison, of Chownall, yeoman; James Nield, of Chunal, clothier; Charles Hadfield, of Chawsworth, yeoman; Charles Fielding, of Charlesworth, clothier; Stephen Pearson, of Beard Hall. yeoman; Joseph Kinder, of Hayfield, clothier; and John Bennett of Whitfield, clothier. Whereas the said Joseph Hague hath lately erected a piece of building on a patch of land by him lately purchased from the above named John Harrison in Whitfield, which is intended to be used as a school and for the residence of a schoolmaster, for the instruction and advantage of poor children within the said Parish of Glossop, and the better to enable the person who shall for the time being be appointed to teach and instruct children in the said school in manner hereinafter mentioned, hath proposed to settle the said building, with the ground adjoining thereto and also the messuage and tenement or farm, hereinafter mentioned."
Then follows a description of the various plots of land that he left for the maintenance of the school and the method of selecting the schoolmaster and trustees to replace losses by death or resignations:-
"And the said Joseph Hague doth hereby further order, declare and direct that all and every schoolmaster and schoolmasters to be from time to time appointed by the said Joseph Hague in his lifetime, or by the said trustees after his decease shall teach and instruct all and every the children resident within the said Parish of Glossop, such children not being under the age of four years respectively, which shall be sent or placed under the care of every such schoolmaster, in the English language, writing, and arithmetic, and for that purpose shall open the said school daily, except Sundays, in the summer time from the 1st of April to the 1st of October, at six o'clock in the morning and close the same at six o'clock in the evening, and in the winter time shall open the same at seven o'clock in the morning and close at five in the evening allowing one hour for dinner on each day and shall not make or give any holiday except the usual holiday................ the orders of the church and afternoon on Saturdays and except one week at Whitsuntide and one fortnight at Christmas yearly, and shall teach .......all such children of the Church Catechism and ... them ....the same on every Saturday morning .....the schoolmaster ...to carry out these conditions, the trustees have power to dismiss him by simply placing a notice on the school door."

The school wage was fixed as follows:-
“Memorandum that the within named Joseph Hague, Esquire, on further consideration of the Great Trouble and Care with which the instruction of children in writing and arithmetic will be attended, doth hereby declare and direct that the schoolmaster of the within mentioned school for the time being shall be at liberty to take and receive the following prices for instructing the children. viz. For teaching the English language only one penny a week, for each child for teaching English and writing twopence a week for each child, and for teaching English, writing and Arithmetic, threepence a week for each child.”

At the time the school was built, the neighbourhood was the most populous in the Hamlet of Whitfield. Many of the old houses have been pulled down during the last 50 years. Over the door of the school is the representation of a Beehive, which was the cause of the Beehive Inn being so called. The inscription on the commemoration stone is as follows:- “This school was erected and endowed by Joseph Hague Esquire of Park Hall in this parish as a testimony of gratitude to Almighty God for his favour and Blessing through a life of years, where by he was enabled to accumulate an ample fortune and make a plentiful provision for his numerous relations and dependants; Anno Domini 1779.“ At the head of the inscription is a crest of arms.

The Trustees have generally been the best men in the Parish, as their names will show:-
Elected 23rd May, 1795: Entwistle Hague of Park Hall; Moses Hadfield, of Simmondley; James Robinson, of Pyegrove; John Hadfield, of Padfield; elected in place of Joseph Kinder; John Hague, Esq., Joel Ratcliffe, and Charles Hadfield, all deceased.
16th October 1800: George Roberts, late schoolmaster, in place of Joseph Bennett, deceased.
13th March, 1804: John Bennett, of Whitfield, in place of George Roberts, deceased.
26th May, 1806: John Nield of Chunal, in place of his father James Nield, deceased.
A page missing.
11th June, 1838: Joseph Bennett, joiner, of Whitfield: Robert Shepley, junior, cotton spinner; in place of Thomas Thorniley and John Nield, deceased. At this meeting Mr. William Platt, of Padfield Lodge was chosen to assist the trustees in the distribution of Mr. Hague's charity.
16th January, 1843: John Thornley junior, coal merchant, Chisworth, in place of James Harrison, deceased
27th July, 1846: It was decided that the school be raised another storey, the staircase to be taken up in the inside of the school with solid steps. Sash windows in lower and top rooms, the cost not to exceed £120. The alteration cost £153 5s 10.5d
16th August, 1847: John Wood, junior of Glossop, in place of Moses Hadfield, deceased.
26th June, 1851: William Sidebottom, Esq., of Waterside, and John Taylor of Ollersett, in place of Robert Hall and Robert Shepley, deceased.
26th June, 1852: Captain Thomas White, of Park Hall, in place of John Bennett, deceased.
1st July, 1857: It was decided to confine the distribution of Mr. Hague's charity to 12 men and 12 women, as named by him.
26th June, 1865: James Shepley, cotton manufacturer, of Glossop, and Christopher Harrison, overlooker of mines, Whitfield.
4th July, 1870: Joseph Bennett, junior, joiner, Whitfield; Daniel Wood Esq., John Newton Winterbottom, Esq., and Thomas Harrop Sidebottom, Esq.
22nd June 1874: It was decided to erect a granite tomb over Mr. Hague's vault, Glossop at a cost of of £140
10th December, 1878: William Dawson, Esq., Hadfield; John Wood Esq., Whitfield House; Frederick Robinson, Gnat Hole; and Samuel Rowbottom, Esq., Glossop
June 8th, 1878: A note by J. Bennett states that :- "The clothing is generally given out first week in July, and brought for inspection to the schoolroom the first Saturday before the 27th August. On the 26th August a special service is held at the Parish Church. Recipients are expected to attend in their new clothing. The vicar receives one guinea for the sermon; the clerk 15s for keeping the vault clean and clerking.
21st February, 1881: Daniel Wood Esq., resigned; Rev. Charles Bruce Ward elected in his stead.
4th June, 1883: Thomas Woolley in place of Christopher Harrison, deceased.
8th June, 1885: Daniel Hague Hesslegrave, Esq., in place of Frederick Robinson, who had emigrated to Tasmania.
7th June, 1886: Resolved to purchase a safe to contain the documents. John Ollerenshaw, slater and plasterer, in place of J.N. Winterbottom, deceased.
18th June, 1891: David Taylor appointed Acting Trustee, Joseph Bennett having resigned through ill health.
16th June, 1892: Letters of condolence to widow and family of Joseph Bennett and Rev. C.B. Ward.
4th August, 1892: Thomas Woolley appointed acting trustee re David Taylor resigned. Fletcher Rigge in place of Rev C.B. Ward.
9th April, 1894: Accounts of the repairs to the school were read, amounting to £100 15s. The following sums were given to defray the same:- John Wood, Esq., £30; James Shepley, Esq., £10; S. Hill-Wood, Esq., £10; Miss Alice Wood, £5; Mrs. S. Wood, £10; E. Partington, Esq., £10 10s W.S. Rhodes, Esq., £5; R. Hawke, Esq., 5s. Charity Commissioners loan of £20 to be repaid in 10 years.
27th June, 1897: W. H. Darwent in place of Thomas Woolley, deceased.